


Truth

by katydid3145



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-17
Updated: 2015-06-17
Packaged: 2018-04-04 19:15:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 33,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4149627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katydid3145/pseuds/katydid3145
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to Practice. Knowing the truth, and accepting it, are two completely different things.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Truth

**Author's Note:**

> Repost of an old story from ff.net. Moving all my stuff from there to here.

Chapter 1

He hesitated to open his eyes. It was a foolish fear. One he knew would not change if he opened them now or in a few minutes. Still, he paused. He tried to gleam what information he could from his other senses. He could hear what sounded like people. Not very close, muffled as if through walls. So he was still in the asylum then. But he could smell...dirt. The hospital he had been confined to was many things, but they had tried to keep the place as clean as possible. Sterile. This smelled like mud and what he had to assume was some sort of animal feces. He hoped was animal feces.

He had vague memories swirling about in his mind, fighting for dominance. His room at the hospital, two people appearing out of nowhere, a vortex of some kind. Then, then things became disjointed, hazy. He distinctly remembered being slapped by a blond woman, although he wasn't entirely sure why. Probably best to avoid her. He was carried...somewhere. These questions could be easily answered if he could just open his eyes. If he could just accept that he was somewhere other than the hospital. That he was Victor Frankenstein.

The insanity must have won out then. He was slightly relieved actually. Even if this was all a figment, a delusion of a broken mind, at least he knew who he had decided on being. No more uncertainty, no more desperate questions. Victor Frankenstein it was then. Might as well accept it now, open his eyes and see what kind of world he had created for himself. He allowed the smallest sliver of light to enter his eyes. Slowly, carefully, he took in his surroundings. He was a little disappointed in himself. A flimsy tent made of cloth, a simple mattress pallet and a blanket. He had thought his mind would have created something a little...better.

He moved slowly. Allowing himself to stretch out his tired arms and legs. He felt sore in several places, he wondered how long he had been asleep. He checked himself for bed sores. He found none, not too long then. He walked towards the flap he assumed was to be the entrance to his residence. He was definitely going to have to imagine a better place to stay. This simply wouldn't do. He had been raised in an estate with servants. Even Dr. Whale had a condo and a BMW. He had a brief memory of pushing that car through a...something. His head was pounding. Perhaps standing wasn't such a great idea.

Everything was so, out of order. He had the sudden urge to go for a run. To just start and not stop until he couldn't breathe. He cautiously moved the tent flap to one side and stepped out into the daylight. The dirt smell had come from what he assumed was supposed to be a road. The "town" was little more than several shanty houses and cloth tents haphazardly placed about. There seemed to be no design to it at all. In the distance he could hear wood being chopped, people yelling out orders. He could just make out what appeared to be a collection of log cabins. So this was just a holding area of sorts until the real town could be built. Good. He would hate to have to sound like a snob and ask Jefferson to take him back to the hospital because he didn't want to sleep in the dirt.

He wondered where they were. The two that came for him. Jefferson and...Ruby he believed. They must be helping out building the new town. His memories were so fractured, he knew certain things to be true and yet. He was entirely convinced this was all still an illusion. A dream. He walked away from the make-shift town and the sounds of the people at the legitimate town below. He moved towards the woods. He didn't know why. He just. He just needed to be alone for a few minutes. Which was ridiculous considering he was alone right now. His legs were telling him to run, so he increased his pace to a slight hobbled walk.

He found himself on a path. He didn't know where it was heading or why he felt the urge to leave the people who had brought him here behind. They seemed trustworthy enough, for hallucinations. More than trustworthy. He knew he shouldn't be doing this. He knew nothing about his condition, for all he knew he could be very sick. Leaving the only people who could aid him and venturing into the woods alone seemed like a terrible plan. But his legs kept moving him forward. Kept moving him farther away.

He knew he was used to this. The isolation. After Gerhardt had died he had preferred it. He didn't allow himself to dwell on the memory of his brother. He tried to piece together the facts he knew for certain.

1\. He was a doctor. 2. He had a brother who died. 3. He could bring people back from the dead...Ok that couldn't be right. He would get back to that one. 4. He had lived in a place called Storybrooke his whole life but he also had memories of living on an estate with his father and brother. So perhaps in addition to these hallucination he also had a split personality. That would make sense. 5. He had been taken to a hospital after Storybrooke was destroyed and everyone in it killed. Then he hallucinated people from the town and they brought him here. Which was obviously a creation of his mind. He...

"Are you alright?"

He looked up to see a woman standing in front of him. He...he didn't recognize her. Strange that he would put people he had never met before in his dream world. She was rather pretty, the Dr. Whale persona he had created had the desire to hit on her.

"I. Sorry. I'm...I don't know what I'm doing actually." His head was truly pounding now. He rubbed the bridge of his nose attempting to relieve the pressure he could feel building. Why couldn't he get everything straight in his head? This should be easier now. Now that he had given in. Given up on ever being sane.

"You shouldn't be out here alone, these woods are very dangerous."

"You're out here alone." She didn't look like she could take down a bunny let alone whatever dangers were supposed to be in these woods.

"I'm stronger than I look." She glanced behind her. "We need to get you back to town, the ogres have been spotted in this area recently. I was scouting out here. You don't look very well, please we..."

"I'm fine. I just, I just needed some air."

"You're the man they brought through a few days ago. They spent weeks looking for a way to find you. I don't think they are going to be too happy to find you out wandering the woods alone. Especially without any shoes on."

Huh. He hadn't even noticed that.

"I'm Aurora. You're...Victor right?" Victor could feel laughter bubbling up in his chest. He didn't know why. It was such a strange thing to laugh about. He pushed down the urge.

"If you say so. I'm not entirely sure." He was having trouble seeing, he really shouldn't have left his tent. As dirty and probably disease infested as it was, at least he could have laid down there. He had to get this migraine under control before he ended throwing up on his new acquaintance.

"Perhaps I should sit down for a minute." She grabbed his arm as he attempted to sit.

"I'm sorry but you can't. We really shouldn't stay out here. It will be dark soon. The ogres aren't the only creatures that have been causing us trouble. Please just lean on me."

He didn't want to. Fictitious or not, he remembered being raised as a gentleman. Gentleman didn't lean on small women who would probably break in half. He attempted to move on his own. His sudden impact with a tree was less than ideal.

"Stop being so stubborn. Here." He did try to resist her looping his arm around her shoulders. But either he was much weaker than he thought, or she was much stronger than he was giving her credit for. Either way, she was carrying a good portion of his weight. He tried to aid her, to keep his feet underneath him, but he wasn't always successful. He didn't realize he had gone so far. It was dark by the time he saw the lights of the town. Torch lights. To think he imagined an entire world and he didn't even give the people electricity. He must be some kind of sadist to resign himself to a place like this. He bet it didn't even have hospitals or proper medical equipment.

Aurora was slowing down. He had to give her credit, they had gone several miles and she was still supporting him. But there were certain biological certainties that sheer force of will couldn't overcome. The lactic acid in her muscles was probably coming to a breaking point. He estimated she could make it another half mile before her legs gave out. He was just about to mention this to her when he heard a strangely familiar voice.

"He's over here!" It was the blond woman who slapped him. She looked like she was going to slap him again. Perhaps he would have been safer in the woods.

Several people started heading towards them. His arm was removed from Aurora's shoulders and places around a man's. He...he knew should know his name. He wanted to say David but for some reason it didn't seem like it was right.

"What happened?"

"I don't know, I found him wandering in the woods when I was headed back from my scouting of the outer farm land to the east." He had hardly been wandering. He had followed the path in the woods, it wasn't like he had been lost. He wanted to tell them as such but they seemed to focusing their questions towards Aurora.

"Where was he going?"

"He didn't say. He seemed...confused. I don't think he knew where he was. He seemed a little unsure of who he was as well." The crowd surrounding him was making him nervous. He didn't like them all here. He really wanted to sit down.

"Take him down to the main hall. Ruby was preparing to get a group together to start searching the woods, foolish girl was going to try to track him in the dark. You, go find Rumplestiltskin. The rest of you, go home. We appreciate your concern, we have it from here." Victor rather liked the old woman who took charge of the situation. An image of her with a crossbow flashed before him, and one of her serving him eggs and bacon at a diner. He didn't know what to do with those conflicting images.

"Three days you sleep and in the two minutes I decide to go grab some wood to start a fire you decide to get up and go for a walk. You really don't like to do anything the easy way do you my boy." There was a hint of concern in her voice. He wanted to tell her it was alright. He really hadn't expected anyone to be there. Why would there be someone at his bedside?

"It wasn't you're fault Granny."

"Sweet of you to say David, but it was my shift he wandered off on. If something had happened to him..."

"He's fine." That was a complete lie, but Victor didn't want to make Granny feel bad about the situation so he kept his mouth shut. They weren't heading back to his tent, but towards the legitimate town. There were a few solidly built houses, what looked like a tavern, and a meeting hall. Quite the bustling metropolis.

His feet were starting to go. He heard David grunt as he suddenly found himself with more of Victor's weight. His head...

"Where the hell is Rumplestiltskin?" The blond woman...Emma still looked like she wanted to hit someone. Thankfully it appeared that it was no longer him. They entered the meeting hall after several agonizing steps. The hall had several people in it already. A young boy rushed towards them.

"Dr. Whale!" Emma pulled Henry towards her. She was whispering something to him. He felt the urge to tell the boy that everything was fine. That he was just a little tired. But before he could muster the energy, he felt himself being lowered onto a bench. A bench he no doubt would have slid promptly off of if Ruby hadn't sat down on the other side of him and held him up.

"What happened?" Why was no one asking him? It was simple, he had woken up and decided to check out the dream world that he had created for himself. Honestly these hallucinations were really uptight about this whole thing. He wondered if he could will them to be more relaxed about the whole situation.

"He woke up and decided to go for a walk. We don't think he really remembers anything yet Ruby." She was looking at him now. He tried, valiantly in his opinion, to keep his eyes focused on hers.

"Do you know who I am?"

"Ruby." My lord, his voice sounded terrible. So weak. He felt like he needed to sleep for several more days. Emma tried to interject.

"Ruby maybe we should wait till..."

"Do you remember how we know each other?"

"You came and got me."

"No, I mean before that. Before the hospital."

"You worked in the diner. Now you're a hallucination." He could hear them talking about him. They sounded so worried. This was what he had wanted wasn't it? To let go of that other reality and accept this one as the real one. He had jumped into that vortex willingly. But these headaches...Perhaps his mind was still trying to reject it. Trying to pull him out of his delusions and force him to accept that he was still laying on his bed in his solitary room. Staring at a crack in the wall.

"You said he would be better when he woke up."

"The mind is a fragile thing dearie. Victor's is especially complicated. You can't expect it to just come back to him all at once. He needs to be guided back." A man crouched down in front of him.

"If you hurt him..."

"Now now Charming, where is all this hostility coming from? I helped you find him, did I not? I told you that the curse might still affect him here, that his mind might try to reject any memories that return to him. Have I not lived up to my every word since we have returned here. "

"Yea, maybe a little too well."

"Well if you would like me to start transforming people into pigs and butterflies as they walk down the street, I suppose I could do that too."

"I don't need magic." It was the first words Victor had managed to get in. The conversation was getting out of hand around him and he didn't know how much longer he could stay awake. He didn't know why he choose those words but felt they were important to say. Although, Rumplestiltskin seemed endlessly amused by them.

"We both know that isn't true dearie. Now. Just stay calm and focus on my hand." It was a strange request. He really didn't know why he was doing it. Staring at a strange man's hand. "Focus on the lines. Follow them with your eyes. See where they start and end. See where they connect. Follow the connections. Do you see them all Victor? Can you figure out how they all come together?"

He could figure anything out given enough time. He traced the lines over and over. The pounding in his head was starting to fade to the back of his mind. He stared at the hand for a few more minutes. Suddenly it all made sense.

"You're insane."

"Well it would appear a more direct method is going to be necessary. You simply are too stubborn for your own good Victor." Several of the people around him moved to say something, one or two might have even gotten in a "Wait" or a "Don't" before Rumplestiltskin put his fingers on Victors head. No. In his head. He could feel the man's fingers in his head. Well if he hadn't been insane before.

"Ah, there you are." A light flashed in front of Victors eyes. He moved his arms to try and cover them, only to realize his eyes were closed. That the light was emanating from within his mind. Then it was gone. He hunched over and tried to catch his breath.

Ruby's arm around his shoulder wasn't just supportive any more, it was protective.

"What the hell did you do to him."

"I had hoped that he would be able to break down the last wall in his mind on his own. However it appeared that that would not be the case. So I simply released the curse myself. He's actually quite lucky that the curse was already mostly broken by the destruction of the town. If the curse had still been at it's full strength, there would have been little I could have done to help."

Victor felt several more hands on his shoulders and back.

"He will be ok now?"

"He might still have some slight confusion but, that will fade eventually."

Victor needed a drink of water. He needed something stronger than water actually, but for the moment any liquid would do. He was hungry too. Strange how you didn't notice these things when your mind was attempting to rip itself apart. At least his breathing seemed to be back under control.

"Dr. Whale?"

"Yes Henry." Victor raised his head to look at the young man in front of him. He took note of the concern on the faces of those around him.

"You said you would be right behind us."

"Henry, now's not the..." Victor waved Emma's interjection off. He exhaled and gave Henry a sad smile.

"I did. I apologize for lying to you Henry. But it seemed like the right course of action at the time." He expected Henry to be angry. Honestly, since the boy had confided in him all Victor had done was lie to him. "Can't guarantee I won't lie to you again either."

Henry was a very mature young man. More mature than most his age. So while he expected anger, deep down Victor hoped for forgiveness.

"Ok. But next time, tell us the plan. And we can see if we can come up with a better one. One that doesn't leave you all alone." So that's what this was about.

"Henry you didn't abandon me, I made a choice to stay."

"Doesn't matter. It won't happen again." Victor was in no mood to debate the issue. He knew if the situation arose he would make the same choice. From the look Emma was giving him, she knew it as well. He was not looking forward to that conversation. She had threatened to kick his ass.

"Henry. Dr. Whale...Victor is probably really tired so why don't we get him back to his tent and you two can talk about this later." Ruby helped him to his feet. Henry wasn't finished though. He wrapped his arms around Victors waist.

"I'm glad you're ok. And not you know, permanently insane or anything." Victor's smile was genuine.

"Me too Henry." He patted the boy's head. David helped Victor back to his tent. The rest of the group dispersed, albeit somewhat reluctantly. Although he got the distinct feeling one of them was always going to be close by for the next few days, in case he decided to go for any more walks.

"Henry's not the only one you know. We are all glad you're back. Even if you are a pain in the ass." Victor smiled. He wondered if it was too soon to make a joke about him sleeping with Mary Margaret. Probably.

"Your wife doesn't seem to mind my ass." David gave him a look that was equal parts amused and disgruntled. He was actually a little surprised the man didn't deck him again. "Too soon?"

"You really have no sense of self-preservation do you?"

"Not really."

"Good night Victor."

"Good night David."

Victor laid down on the mattress in his tent. He could hear the people moving about outside. It was a comforting sound. He no longer believed this all to be a construct of his own mind. He knew this realm existed, just as much as his own, just as much as Storybrooke. This place was real. These people were real. His memories were much more linear now. He could pinpoint when and where things had happened. Everything was making sense again.

So he lay there, staring at the hole in the tent flap. He focused on the crack of light that spilled onto the floor. He watched the shadows drift by outside, and thought to himself, this is real. He repeated it over and over. He knew it was. He kept his mantra up, and attempted to push down that small voice in the back of his mind. The one trying to claw its way up. The one trying to destroy the things he knew to be true. Perhaps if he just kept repeating it, one day the voice would disappear. One day, his doubt would disappear.

One day...

Chapter 2

Over the course of the next few days, he felt considerably better. Each day that he woke up, he felt more aware. Surer of his name and past. Perhaps it was that his mind seemed to be back in order. There were a few hazy spots still, but nothing he couldn't piece together. This morning, there was a fresh stack of clothes near the end of his bed. My lord, a pair of brown trousers and a brown shirt that appeared to be made out of a burlap bag. There was no way he was wearing those clothes. He would just have to keep wearing...the hospital scrubs he was still in. Right. Time to choose the lesser of two evils he supposed. After several lengthy minutes of debating with himself, he chose the brown pants and kept the white top from the hospital. He probably still looked like an escaped mental patient.

He walked out of his tent to find Emma sitting in a chair just outside his door.

"Sheriff Swan."

"Bout time you woke up. Aurora was afraid she was going to lose the title of Sleeping Beauty to you."

"I'm flattered Emma, truly. But I thought we decided that you and I could never be. Really, this waiting outside my tent so you can throw yourself at me is a little disturbing."

"Right, that was exactly what I was doing, you caught on to my game rather quickly."

"It's all very transparent." He was hoping this conversation wouldn't take a turn towards what happened the other day. Or where he had been when Jefferson and Ruby came for him. He had managed to avoid most serious conversations by saying that he was tired and needed to rest. Which, wasn't always a lie. That curse had done a number on him.

"Look, Whale...Victor, I..." A diversion was apparently necessary this time.

"Did you hit me?"

"What?"

"I have this vague recollection of stumbling through the vortex, half dead, only to be greeted by you slapping me across the face."

"Ok, first of all, you were hardly half dead. And secondly, I told you that if you didn't follow us I would kick your ass. You deserved it."

"Perhaps I did. I am starving, is there a 'Granny's' here? Or am I going to have to go out and slaughter a pig or something?" He said it as a joke, but it was a legitimate concern. He had never been much into hunting. He was probably going to starve if he had to fend for himself.

"There's a tavern in the center of town where you can get food." He was hoping she would take the hint and drop it. Let sleeping demons lie and all that.

"You ok?"

"I've been better. But I've been worse." It was the truth. Tragically, this was honestly not the worst thing that had ever happened to him.

She still seemed skeptical of him though. Thankfully she just took his arm and started directing him towards town.

"You know we put a shirt in there for you too."

"Is that what that was? I thought it was a laundry sack."

"I'm sorry that it's not Versace, but everyone is going to start having to get acclimated to their environment and that's what people wear around here."

"Said the woman in jeans, and a red leather jacket. With a gun strapped to her hip."

"Ok, so maybe I grabbed a few things before we left."

"I packed medical supplies and you packed extra clothes so you could look good for all the peasants. You truly are the savior."

"Hey, I will have you know that just yesterday these jeans saved a life. They..."

"Where are the medical supplies?"

"We put them all in a separate small structure near the meeting hall."

"A separate small structure? You put them in a shed didn't you?"

"It was all we had. Nobody touched anything. We kept everything the way you packed it. Figured you would want to be the one to sort it all. Most of us can't pronounce what's on the labels, let alone know what the drugs do."

He had brought enough supplies for a month, maybe two. He was going to have to go through everything and determine their chemical structures. See if there was a way to replicate those drugs using plants found in this realm. Perhaps Jefferson would be able to help him with that. He might be able to identify commonalities in plants across realms.

"Where is Jefferson?"

"He's been helping collect supplies, finding alternate living areas/escape routes in case anything were to happen to this place." Made sense. He had slept most of the time since he had gotten here. This would be his first real foray into town.

"What is the name of the town anyway. And please don't tell me you've named it something corny like Hope or New Beginnings or Love. Because I honestly don't think I can live in a place like that." She slapped him lightly on the arm.

"Its not that bad."

"It is something corny isn't it? Let me guess, Peace? No...what about, New Enchanted Forest. No that's not quite bad enough, Renewal? I..." Victor stopped guessing. Stopped moving. His heart felt like it had been ripped from his chest. No. Not here. Not now.

"Victor...Victor? Hey, do not make me slap you again." Victor snapped out of his temporary panic attack. "You seriously freaked me out there for a second. We should get you back to..."

"No, no I'm. I'm fine. It's just, I haven't eaten in awhile. I think my blood sugar is just getting a little low. I just need to get something to eat."

"You're sure?"

"Of course, I'm a doctor aren't I?"

Emma seemed to walk slightly closer to him as they made their way towards the tavern. Her eyes kept darting back towards him every few seconds. Victor pretended not to notice. Soon they were outside the tavern door. There was no sign, the place probably didn't even have a name yet.

The feeling of unease, the controlled panic, had strengthened as they had gotten closer. He was inside then. Waiting.

"Hey, I have to go check on Henry. Granny should be inside, you got it from here?"

"I do, thank you Sheriff."

"You got it Doctor." She waved goodbye and walked away. Victor hesitated. He closed his eyes. Perhaps he wasn't in there. Perhaps this was all just some residual insanity, putting old memories in his mind. Making him believe things that had happened long ago were happening now. Victor opened the heavy wooden door.

Victor saw him sitting in the corner. The Enchanted Forest was still struggling to pull itself back together. Homes were being built everyday, the streets were still little more than trodden mud paths. Most people lived in cloth tents or hastily built shanties. The entire Charming family was living in one towards the north end of this "town". They had considered moving everyone into their castle, making it the beacon by which the land could rebuild from. But the damage to it had been so severe, there were barely enough rooms for one family let alone the hundreds that were here now. His own tent was cloth, a pallet on the ground to sleep on. Nothing else. It reminded him of...

It was day two of being back when the people had begun building the tavern. It was the sturdiest most modern looking structure in the town. There was a real wooden floor, chairs, a bar, even an indoor bathroom. Technically it was an outhouse connected to the tavern by a hallway but still. Before they finished their own homes they built a place they could congregate, could meet up. Could get really drunk. They really seemed to have their priorities in order here.

His back was to Victor. But Victor recognized him, knew it was him. He had probably been there awhile, just waiting for Victor to recognize that familiar presence. To seek him out. He knew Victor would come looking, all he had to do was wait. Patience was his greatest weapon. The only weapon he needed. Victor wanted to take a deep breath, to steady himself for what was coming. But he didn't. He couldn't. If he was here it meant only one thing. Victor had to gleam whatever information he could, try to figure out how it would happen. What he could do to save as many as he could.

Victor slowly walked across the room. There was no one else in the tavern. Normally by now the place would be packed with exhausted but hopeful townspeople. They would be eating and laughing and talking about how well it was all going. How far they had come in the few short months since they had returned. Yet tonight, tonight there was no one. For some reason they had all stayed away. They had all avoided this one particular place. Even Emma had shied away, had looked for any excuse not to have to go inside. Perhaps they all had a good excuse, in their minds they would at least. They would tell themselves that they were too tired, that they had to finish up this other task first, that they wanted to spend time with their families tonight. They would accept these thoughts and block out the unease they all felt. The fear and disquiet that followed him where ever he traveled. Victor was apparently the only person stupid enough to seek out this strange feeling, this ache that they all felt. Victor sat down as he spoke.

"Do you remember the first time we met? How old were you Victor, six? Seven?"

"I was five."

"Ah yes. It was during that silly little thing wasn't it?" Victor clenched his hands.

"It was a plague, millions died."

"So few? That hardly seems worthy of my time. I wonder what I was even doing at something so trivial." He was attempting to goad him, Victor knew it. He had to remain calm. He had to find out why he was here.

"Perhaps you were simply bored."

"Perhaps. My job can be rather mundane."

"Is it work that brings you here now?"

"My work is the only reason I travel. You are in an inquisitive mood tonight aren't you? Although I supposed that is rather your personality isn't it? I believe you never answered my original question." Victor had to back off. Had to play his game. For now.

"I was five, I was walking towards the town square when I saw you standing over the bodies of several people. You were just...standing there."

"Yes. You see, most people when they see me avert their eyes. Pretend that I don't exist. Continue living their meaningless little lives without another thought. But not you Victor. You were staring right at me. Looking all the world like I was some sort of puzzle you could piece together. Then you walked right up to me, bold as brass. Do you remember what you said?"

"It was a very long time ago."

"Yes, but I sincerely doubt anything slips out of that mind of yours."

"I said that one day I would figure you out. That I would stop you."

"Yes, and how has that been working out for you?"

"Technically I did beat you." Victor knew he shouldn't antagonize him. He should let him prattle on about whatever it was. Making him angry was always a bad move. Victor had been told his self-preservation skills needed improvement.

"You are ant. Every single one of you pathetic creatures, are ants to me. So you think just because you've managed to crawl up onto my shoulder that it makes you equal to me? Do you have any idea how insignificant you are?"

"And yet you sought me out. I've never sought out the company of ants, never learned their names. Which means either you need something..." His laugh was unsettling. Victor had heard it once before so it didn't have the same effect as the first time. The first time he had spent the next three days trying to remember that not all laughter sounded like that. That it wasn't all dark and freezing. That he wasn't insane.

"Need something? From you? Oh Victor, that is so...you." He reached his hand towards Victor face. Victor didn't flinch. Didn't break eye contact. "Still no fear of me?"

"Why should I ever fear you?"

Victor had never feared him. Not when he was a child, not when he was working on his experiments, not in Storybrooke when he was sure it was over, not now. Not ever. He retracted his hand, centimeters from Victor's face. His cold smile remained.

"Perhaps not now Victor, but one day. All men, regardless of their bravery, of their bravado, fear me. In the darkest parts of their hearts, they fear me. You will, perhaps sooner than you think."

It wasn't a threat. Victor knew that, it...it almost sounded like a warning.

"Why are you here?" Victor was confused now. He wasn't here to kill him, he almost seemed...

"I'm here, for the only reason that I ever go anywhere Victor. My work."

"You know, I always thought that these meetings were meant to torture me. For you to remind me that no matter what I did, where I went, how high I rose, you could always get to me. Because I would always seek you out. But that's not it is it?"

"I don't learn the names of ants Victor, for the same reason you don't. They are so far beneath you, their lives are so short, so pointless. But that doesn't mean you don't occasionally go out of your way to avoid stepping on one. Especially if it's the only interesting ant you've ever come across in an endless millennia."

Victor suddenly realized he didn't want to know why he was here. He knew deep down that whatever the reason, it might be more than he could handle right now. He was barely back to full mental capacity. He really shouldn't be doing this. But. But he had to know. It was always going to be his downfall. His obsession with the truth, with knowing the answers. No matter the consequences.

"Why are you here?"

"Because Victor, I've developed a sort of...I suppose you could call it an affection for you. You are the only one I really get to talk to anymore. I've been watching over you since that day when you were five. I suppose you could consider me, your godfather." He rose from his seat. He picked up a black jacket that had been slung over the back of the chair. Victor hadn't noticed it before. Why on earth did he need a jacket?

"Victor, you know why I am here. And knowing you, you will try to save everyone. Try to stop me."

"You could just not do it. You don't have to be so cruel about..."

"Cruel? I am never cruel. What men do to one another that calls me here is often cruel. But we both know I am not." Victor knew their conversation was drawing to a close, Victor had no hope of keeping him here longer than he wanted to be.

"I..."

"What is coming Victor, is going to test even your legendary defiance of me."

Then he was gone. Victor sat in the wooden bar chair for several minutes. He thought back through their conversation. He had mentioned their first meeting, calling the amount of death "trivial". So for whatever reason he was here, the death toll was going to be considerably larger than millions. Which was impossible. There weren't that many people living in the Enchanted Forest any more. Unless...Unless whatever was coming wasn't just going to affect this realm. It would affect every realm, hundreds of millions were going to die.

Cora popped into his mind, perhaps she was behind this. No, she was cruel and twisted but genocide on that scale was beyond even her. Regina was another candidate, she had tried to kill every person in the realm that she didn't bring with her to Storybrooke. Technically she had already committed genocide once. But she didn't do it without help from Rumplestiltskin. He created the original curse. He would be the one to have the power to bring that much destruction. But why? What could he possibly gain by killing so many people?

He had implied that Victor would try to save people but would be unable to. Would it be another plague, would he have to watch as the few people he had begun to care about died around him? Victor wouldn't die in this, event or whatever it was, he had basically spelled it out for him. Victor's death was still a ways away apparently. He supposed he should be relieved. But all Victor could see were the faces of everyone he cared about as they died, and Victor unable to do anything to stop it. He didn't know how long he sat there. Scrutinizing every word, every inflection. He probably would have continued to sit there long into the night if not for the sudden arrival of Granny.

"Dr. Whale? What are you doing in here?" Strange how they all seemed to still call him that. He supposed Frankenstein was a tough name to get used to saying.

"I was just...thinking. Sorry I didn't mean to..."

"Nonsense, I'm the one that barged in on you. I was just going to make some stew for later." She eyed him critically. "You're not feeling sick are you? You're not supposed to be over-exerting yourself, you're still re-acclimating to..."

Victor batted her hands away. He had never had anyone mother over him, it was both touching and incredibly annoying.

"I'm fine. I'm well aware of my limitations at this moment. I was just about to return to my tent."

He rose and began to head to the door. Well, tried at least. Granny refused to move from his path.

"What's wrong? You look too pale. You thinking on things too much is what almost got you killed a few weeks ago. You..."

"I am fine. Granny, really. I just came in here looking for something to eat and was surprised to find the place abandoned is all. I sat down not a few moments before you came in."

Victor was sure that the amount of lying he did to these people should signify how terrible of a person he was. Weren't the good guys supposed to be honest and true all the time? He was never going to be a good man at this rate.

"Mmm, well I have a few sandwiches in the back. Let me grab you one. Do not leave until I get back."

"Yes ma'am." Victor unleashed his best Dr. Whale smile. The one that used to get young women to fall into bed with him. Granny was apparently unimpressed, she continued to stare at him as she walked into the back room. She should watch where she was going, she could run into something walking like that.

She returned a few moments later. She handed him a blanket.

"Um. I'm not that hungry." Victor was hoping he wasn't going to have to tell Ruby that her Grandmother was going senile. She apparently saw what he was thinking and promptly slapped him upside the head. What was it with the women of this town slapping him?

"The sandwich is wrapped up inside the blanket you fool. I just thought you could use the extra blanket, it's going to get cold here soon."

"I thought it was still summer here?"

"It is, but according to some scouts they saw what looked like snow on some of the northern mountains. Winter must be coming early. Most are taking it as a bad omen."

He was wearing a jacket. It had been a warm day, not that he needed the jacket in any conditions, but he brought it with him. Whatever was coming, Victor bet that they only had until that snow hit. Granny was looking at him again with concern, he needed to stop spacing out around these people. Gerhardt had always been able to distinguish Victor's 'deep-thinking look', apparently they were catching on to it as well. He needed to get back to his tent, he needed somewhere private he could sort all this out. Somewhere he could form a plan.

"I appreciate it Granny. Thank you for your hospitality." She snorted as his words.

"Wasn't anything that fancy. Just didn't want you to catch your death of cold."

Victor spared a glance at the chair in the corner. Then turned and headed for the door.

"You really have nothing to worry about then. Death and I, are old friends."

 

Chapter 3

He had found a blank notebook among the things brought over from Storybrooke. He wasn't sure who brought it or why, but he was glad they had. Paper was in rather short supply. When thinking of things they would need, and with the little amount of time they had to pack, many things had been left behind. You tend to make sure you have enough food or water, or all your family members. You don't generally think, I should probably bring a ton of blank notebooks. But it was amazing the things they could have used them for. Victor was glad he had claimed this one. Claimed might be a bit of an overstatement. Grabbed it and hid it under his shirt so that no one would see him take it was probably more accurate.

He needed it though. He couldn't categorize the medical supplies without something to write on. How was he supposed to figure out what plants to use from this realm to replicate the drugs if he couldn't get his thoughts down. The last thing he needed was to miss something, or get a measurement wrong and then accidentally poison the whole town.

Emma had brought him to the shed yesterday and told him to "go nuts". Everything was still packed up. He was going to need more space. His tent would never hold all of this, let alone the space that would be required to properly conduct his research. Most of the homes being built now were for families. The Charmings' home had just been completed two days ago. Those who were single, who didn't need as much space, were content to stay in their tents for now. Everyone was making sacrifices. Maybe he could take some of the tents that...no the cloth from the old tents were being repurposed. For what he couldn't remember, but he doubted they would be willing to spare one for him. They were back in the land of magic. A medical doctor would be little more than a novelty here.

Still. He had no intention of letting what happened in his realm, happen here. So they wouldn't come to him when they were sick or injured, he would still be here. He spent several days unpacking the boxes, carefully examining every pill and vial. Making sure to double-check his estimates of how long the medicine would last. Cross referencing it with the known medical conditions of the people in the town. It wouldn't last very long. They might still come to him now, when the memories of Storybrooke were still fresh in their minds. But eventually...

He was sure that Emma and Henry were conspiring to keep an eye on him. The first and second days with the supplies, he hadn't left the shed until Ruby had walked by around midnight of day two. She seemed rather upset that he was still in there. Even more so when he mentioned that he might have forgotten to eat. They didn't know this part of him. The obsessive part. He had gone several days without sleep before, and it would take more than a day or so without food to get to him. He had finally agreed to leave after Ruby had threatened him. Threatened to lock the door on the shed and not let him back in. A rather harsh punishment for not doing anything wrong.

The next day, he had hardly been able to get any work done. People were constantly stopping by, bringing him sandwiches. Telling him he needed to get out, to walk around a bit. He tried to ignore them, but they were all so...sincere. So he had begrudgingly obliged. Day four, he had been more prepared. He had snuck down to the shed before sunrise and locked the door behind him. He had completed several hours of work when he was interrupted by knocking at the door. Pounding really. Completely uncalled for in his opinion. He ignored it at first, but then opened the door after Emma threatened to chop it down with an axe. Honestly, what did they think he was doing in here? He could probably guess, although he wasn't sure where they thought he would have gotten a body. Plus he had put those experiments aside for now. He had other things he needed to prepare for.

"Is there a problem Sheriff?"

"Did you not hear me pounding?"

"I heard a noise, really Emma this..."

"Save it Whale, I'm not in the mood for our banter right now."

"Is everything alright? Is someone hurt?" Victor needed to find a bag he could pack medical supplies into in cases of emergencies. He would add that to his list.

"No, it's nothing like that. The lock on the door..."

"People kept interrupting me yesterday. I needed the solitude. If there is nothing else."

"Lunch. Now." Victor looked at the position of the sun. Was it noon already? Perhaps he could take a few moments to get something to eat.

"If you insist." She handed him a sandwich. Good. He was rather hoping to avoid the tavern. He turned to eat it in the shed, when her hand wrapped around his arm.

"Nope, outside. With us." These people were truly inconvenient. Did they not realize how much time it took to accomplish the medical feats he needed to finish? Did they not know the...no of course they didn't. He hadn't told anyone about his conversation in the tavern. About his friend. They couldn't know that some great tragedy was lurking just beyond their line of sight. He should tell them, but really what would he say? I met Death in a bar, he said you were all going to die. It sounded like a bad joke even to him. He didn't know what was coming, or even when. They were making preparation for Cora all the time, they were probably already preparing for a doomsday scenario.

He followed in step behind Emma. They walked toward a small clearing, there would probably be a house here in a few days. Ruby, David, Mary Margaret, Henry, and surprisingly Regina, were already sitting there. True, Regina was sitting farther away from the others but her presence was being tolerated. Now was probably not the time to ask her if she was planning any more mass killings. The lunch had been...awkward to say the least. Everyone trying to make small talk. Trying not to bring up every terrible thing they knew about each other. It reminded him a great deal of the parties his father used to make him go to. He finished his meal and stood.

"Thank you for the food, now I really should be going." A curt nod and he was gone before anyone had the chance to object. He was calculated the amount of time he thought he would have before they came to get him again. Perhaps he could make it to dinner, that would give him at least five hours.

"Dr. Whale! Hey, wait up." Victor slowed his pace. He turned to see Henry energetically headed towards him.

"Henry, is something the matter?"

"Nope. I just thought that maybe you and me could hang out."

"Henry, I have to finish with the medical supplies."

"Cool. I can help. Granny's been teaching me a lot about the plants and stuff around here. I could maybe help you make lists of the stuff you are going to need."

"I didn't know you had an interest in botany."

"Plants are ok I guess. I just thought, if I'm the prince I should know everything about the kingdom. She was telling me that there was this one plant that was real good at soothing burns and stuff."

"Like aloe."

"Yea, except its purple and it grows on the ledges of mountains. Apparently you need a giant to help you reach them."

"Of course you do." Even gathering supplies here wasn't going to be simple. He supposed he should have anticipated that. "Wouldn't you rather be spending time with your family or friends."

"I've been spending every minute with my family, which is great. But I haven't seen you really since you got back. And, well, I don't really have a lot of friends so..."

"You have developed more friendships since the curse was broken haven't you?"

"Well yea, but. But what if it's like they don't want to be my friend they just know who my family is and that's why they are being nice to me now."

"Henry, the reason you didn't have any friends prior to the curse is because of the curse."

"Huh?"

"Well think about it Henry. You were different in that you aged each year. Which means if you made friends in the first grade, by the second grade the curse would have made you and them forget all about it. You would grow older and they wouldn't, an inconsistency such as that would have to be controlled. So it was simply easier for the children to ignore the abnormality, i.e. you, and continue on. It's not that they didn't like you Henry, it's that they simply couldn't be allowed to know you."

"I never thought about it like that."

"Yes. I wonder what would have happened as you grew older. I suppose it would have been rather difficult to maintain any type of relationship in that town."

"Right." Damn it, he had upset the boy.

"I'm sorry Henry, sometimes my mind starts working on a puzzle and it doesn't think to stop my mouth."

"It's ok. Do you think my mom knew that I wouldn't have any friends? That I would never be close to anybody besides her?"

"I really don't know Henry." He needed to keep his mouth shut. Gerhardt had often begged him to think before he spoke. He did try, but if an interesting enough problem was presented to him, well. He could add that to his list of fatal flaws.

"Henry, why don't you go have your grandfather teach you how to shoot a bow and arrow or swing a sword. Those are activities much better suited for young princes. Not hanging out in sheds, writing down names of plants." An argument his father had given him many times as a boy. It wasn't natural for young men to spend all their time reading. They should be out, rough-housing with other boys or hitting on young women. His father had belittled the time spent alone, the drawings he would make. Gerhardt had always stood up for him...He had to stop doing this. He had to stop thinking about his brother. The door to his realm was now permanently sealed. His brother was gone. Forever.

"No, I want to..." The boy was definitely less enthusiastic now. He was trying to be nice, perhaps he even still felt guilty about leaving Victor behind in Storybrooke. Which was ridiculous, that boy wouldn't have been able to do anything. No one could ever change Victor's mind once he decided on a plan of action.

"Henry." He stopped them just as they were about to reach the shed. "Look, why don't you go make up for all that time lost and hang out with some people your own age. I know you're a prince now, and that you want to take responsibility. But you're still young, and you haven't been able to act your age in a long time. So go play...I really have no idea what kind of games kids play here."

"I saw them playing something that was a combination of freeze tag, hide-n-seek, and hopscotch, although one of them had a sword too."

"Right. Go play that then."

"But I..."

"And after you have learned this game, you will come back here and help me. I won't hear another word on the matter. And Henry, I will know if you have gone off to do something responsible. I expect a detailed explanation of the rules of this game." Henry seemed unsure. Victor could tell that he desperately wanted to just be a young boy for once. Why was he so resistant to this?

"You'll be here when I get back?"

"Of course. I really have nowhere else to go." That was apparently the wrong answer, Henry was about to say something more. "Henry. Please, I swear to you I will still be here. There is plenty of work to do. It will take several more days for me to finish all this."

Henry finally looked like he was going to agree. Really you think this would be an easy choice for the boy.

"I'll be back in an hour."

"Henry you don't..." But the boy was already gone. An hour then. He had no doubts that Henry would be right back here in exactly one hour to keep his promise. Really, that boy was far too noble for his own good.

Victor managed to get some work done before Henry returned. Afterwards, he still managed to work, but Henry was so inquisitive. Which, to be fair, Victor honestly didn't mind. But he found that Henry would ask him a question about why something would react in a certain way to this particular medicine and Victor would begin to explain it. Then he would realize that an hour had passed and they were still on the same vial they had been. It was refreshing of course. But if he hoped to get anything done he would have to find a way to get Henry distracted by something else tomorrow.

He ended up not having to find something else the next day, David was taking Henry horseback riding. So Victor headed down to his shed fully intent on locking himself in there until he finished with his work. He could...oh for the love of...

"Ruby. What a pleasure to see you so early in the morning. People will talk."

"Mhmm. Right now, people have little time for gossip. They are too busy building houses and starting farms. Trying to scrape their lives back together." Perhaps that is what this was all about. He wasn't really contributing anything. He hadn't lifted a single hammer or helped with the crops. Maybe in his spare time he could design a greenhouse or something...Had he been obtuse? Had all their attempts to pull him away from his work really been attempts to get him to help do something worth doing in this realm. Not wasting time on information they would never need.

"I see." Should he offer to help build a house? He had never done that before, build a house or offer to help someone do it. What if he injured his hands? A surgeon's hands are...

"I don't like the way you said that."

"Sorry?"

"I see. You said it as though you were agreeing to something completely different from what I was saying."

"I was simply agreeing with you. People are trying to rebuild their lives. It's very honorable of them."

"Them...Wait. I wasn't saying that you weren't..."

"Of course, I don't know much about farming or raising chickens or whatever you people eat here. I could try to..." Victor hated it when he didn't know something. Admitting that he didn't know anything about farming was almost painful. And there were no books around for him to read up on the subject. Given a few days and a few books, he could have been the best farmer around. Ruby's hand on his arm was slightly distracting.

"You're an idiot." Well that was rather rude.

"I..."

"No, I know you're a genius. You are probably smarter than the rest of us put together. But your social interaction skills suck. You really need to channel some of that Dr. Whale mojo you had before and just..."

"Did you honestly just use the word mojo. What, was I Austin Powers? I think I have lost all respect for you."

"We are glad you are here. We want you here. We don't want you to do anything but be you. So you suck at farming. You're a doctor that isn't going to change here." Aside from Gerhardt, no one had ever really wanted him around. He tended to...

"You don't know me that well." Ruin everything.

"Well, we will just have to change that won't we." He could almost believe her when she smiled like that.

"I just thought that you all kept interrupting me because you thought I was doing something...nefarious."

"Victor. We...You've been permanently cut off from your home realm. We all knew what that felt like when we were stuck in Storybrooke. None of us wanted to you to feel alone. We wanted to you to know, that...that we're your family now." God she was beautiful.

But, but he knew his life. Every member of his family was dead. Death was always waiting by to take someone else from him. These people didn't know what they were getting into, trying to be a part of his family. He had to protect them. No matter what he truly wanted to say to her in that moment, he couldn't give in.

"Thank you Ruby. I...I really...I'm not very good at this." Her smile was going to be the end of him. He wanted to tell her about what was coming, but what could she do? What could any of them do? No. This wasn't for them to conquer. He had to face death as he always had. Alone.

"So, Henry said you were trying to identify some plants that could be used as replacements for some of the meds you brought with you. Need any help with that?" Say yes.

"Actually I am trying to categorize what we have left right now. Maybe later." Half of him wanted to slap himself. To curse his mind and his ridiculous pride. But the other half, the realistic, resigned half, knew he was doing the right thing. Forming attachments now, when Death was so patiently waiting, would only make it harder for him when he was alone again.

"Right. Well someone is going to be by later with some food. So."

"Don't let me keep you."

This was better. He could keep up appearances. Tell them he was fine and then...

"Did you wonder why I came with Jefferson to get you?"

"I figured you needed two people for the spell, and you have more experience with magic than the rest of them."

"I don't know what you're hiding. Or why you still don't think that you can trust us..."

"I trust..."

"You trust us to save your life. To keep you around when we need you. But you don't trust us with anything else. I can tell right now, for some reason you are trying to push me away. Well it's not going to work. Lock yourself in that shed all you want, we are just going to keep pushing ourselves in until you get it. You just keep that in mind ok. We are not going to give up or abandon you. Not to any monster that comes along, and not to yourself." Stick to the plan Victor. Keep them away. Remember what happened to Gerhardt. What happens to people who care about you. Don't do it...

"Ruby..." She was waiting. She would stand there all day until he said it out loud. Until he could form the words.

He wanted to trust her, to trust them all. She had come for him. If Jefferson had been the only one, he might not have followed. Jefferson didn't make the greatest first impression on a mentally unstable mind. Obviously they sent Ruby to appeal to the Dr. Whale side of him, the womanizer. He would follow a pretty face anywhere. Even in his own head the words sounded like lies.

God help him, he didn't want to do this alone any more.

"Maybe you should get everyone together. There's...there's something you should all know."

Chapter 4

He rather hoped this didn't go exactly the way he knew it was going to. With a lot of questions he couldn't answer and shouting in his general direction. Ruby had everyone meet up at the tavern around lunch. He had told her to leave Regina and Rumplestiltskin out of the equation. He didn't want them there in case they had something to do with the impending disaster. For all he knew it was an earthquake or a flood, something they and their magic could help with. Maybe Death knew he wouldn't go to someone who used magic for help, was counting on it. He would run it by the others...he didn't know why he was telling them. They would have no more answers than he did. If there was a solution, he would have thought of it by now.

"What's this all about Whale?" He really should say something about them still calling him that. It was ridiculous, he knew what his real name was now. They should try to maintain consistency amongst their names. They were no longer in Storybrooke, there was no need to keep up the...

"Victor." Ruby was standing beside him. Apparently they were all waiting to hear what he had called them all together for. From the way they were looking at him, Ruby must have told them that it was important. He wondered how she knew. Probably the fact that he had actually said something. Or that he had been trying to hide it.

"I'm not really sure how to say this in a way you will understand."

"No need to be condescending, we get it, you are a genius." Emma was always poking at him, joking with him. He liked that about her.

"I..." Oh for goodness sake, just spit out the words. If all else fails you can blame your ridiculous story on the fact that you were technically insane less than two weeks ago.

"I think there is, what I mean to say is...Something terrible is coming. Something devastating that is going to kill the vast majority of the people."

"The people in the Enchanted Forest?"

"No. Everywhere. Something is coming that is going to kill a high percentage of the populations of every realm." Mary Margaret and David looked at one another. Their silent communication was telling him that they were having a hard time believing this. Emma, ever the pragmatist, spoke next.

"How could you possibly know that? Did Cora say something...did she come after you?" It was amazing how quickly these people went from bewildered to concerned. He still wasn't entirely sure what he had done to warrant such concern for his well-being.

"No, I, I haven't seen Cora since Storybrooke and even then it was only in passing."

"Then who told you about this threat." This was going to be the moment. The one where they called Rumplestiltskin back in to check his brain again. Clearly the man had done something, clearly Victor was still insane. Clearly, he couldn't be fixed. No turning back, might as well get it over with.

"Death told me. I met him in the tavern the other day."

The silence was going to get awkward if it went on much longer. Probably already was awkward with the way they were staring at him.

"Death and I are old friends...You meant it didn't you." He had forgotten about that little quip to Granny.

"We have met a few times before."

"You told me that you had just gotten there. That there was nothing wrong. You were lying to me." Strange how he could have no fear of death, but he wanted nothing more than to run away from Granny in this moment. She was a formidable woman. He would have to make a better effort to avoid lying to her...or be better at not revealing those lies.

"I may have, exaggerated the truth slightly."

She was going to stab him. He had no doubt that if she had her crossbow on her, she would be aiming it in his direction. He was saved from what was no doubt going to be a painful tongue lashing by David joining the conversation.

"So... you met with death...and he told you everyone was going to die."

"Basically."

"Wait, hold on. We are all just ok with the fact that he said he can talk to death?" Emma had trouble with the more abstract concepts of the magical realms. She was probably imagining a skeleton in a hood brandishing a scythe.

"I can't talk to Death whenever I feel like it. He just pops in sometimes. Usually when I am at a low point. He likes to...Death isn't some creature that comes at night to take your soul. Death only comes when he is called by the actions of man, and he rarely comes himself. The fact that he was here meant that the number of people who are going to die would be astronomical. He doesn't just come to every person's death, he has reapers for that. Since there aren't enough people here to warrant a visit from the big man himself, I concluded that whatever malady will befall us will have to affect several realms."

They seemed to be processing his words. Testing them. Trying to figure out if they wanted to believe him. In their minds, he was either crazy or telling the truth. Neither of which were situations they wanted to accept.

"And before you ask, I have no idea what the disaster will be. I just know it is coming and probably will be soon. Sometime around when the first snow hits."

"Death told you all this?"

"In a manner of speaking. He and I...understand each other better than most." Which wasn't exactly true. He never understood why Death came to see him, or what he wanted. But the sad fact was, the only two consistent people in his life before Storybrooke were Gerhardt and Death.

"How do we prepare? Can we prepare for what's coming if we don't know what it is?" It might be inappropriate for him to kiss Mary Margaret in front of her husband, especially considering their past. But he was considering it. It would seem he was constantly underestimating these people. They were being very open minded to his insane prediction.

"Wait. Why did death tell you all this? Why would he warn you?" Emma always needed to know. He could respect her need for the truth. He just wasn't sure he wanted to give it to them. It was a hard thing to admit that Death was the only friend you ever had, and that all he wanted to do was torture you.

"It's complicated."

"Does it have to do with you bringing people back from the dead? Does he think you and him are equals or is he offering you professional courtesy? What?"

"He likes to torture me. He...wanted me to know that no matter what I do, it is pointless. It will always be pointless. He is going to let me live to old age, and watch everyone I have ever known or cared about die. It's how he is going to punish me for the things I've done. Whatever this is, every single one of you is going to die. And I won't be able to stop it. Which is probably going to send me right back to the whole being insane thing I just recently got over."

That wasn't so hard was it? Nothing like confessing your biggest fear to a room full of people to make you want to throw up and then go cry in a corner. Ruby's hand was on his arm again. Seemed to be there a lot recently. He had gone most of his life without wanting or needing comfort. He was spending far too much time with these people. He was going soft. He had to stop coming to them with this. Maybe he could convince them that this was just some joke or prank. That everything was going to be alright, then he could get back to trying to figure out a way to stop this.

"Is that why you've been locking yourself in the shed? Trying to figure out a way to save everyone?"

"I was...considering several options." Emma looked upset. They all looked rather unhappy with him at the moment actually.

"I do not like the sound of that."

"I was merely calculating the odds of survival and trying to determine the amount of medicine necessary to deal with a widespread epidemic, if that is what is coming. Really it was nothing." Nothing they could understand anyway. He had played hundreds of scenarios through his head in the last few days. He had visualized the deaths of these people in more ways than he cared to think on. He made endless lists of supplies he wished he had, things from Storybrooke or even his realm that would be incredibly useful to...

"You know it hurts my feelings when you guys start these meetings without me. Seeing as I'm generally the one who has to put his life on the line to carry out your hair-brained schemes. Vic, good to see you up and about again."

Jefferson. This...complicated things slightly. Jefferson would know if he was lying. Would know what Death's visit would have truly meant to Victor. Would know that every instinct in Victor's body was telling him to push them away, to find somewhere to be alone. That he could figure this out alone.

"We said noon."

"Yes well Sheriff, as you know, noon here and noon elsewhere are often completely different. Besides, I'm fairly certain the watch I have from Storybrooke thinks its 4:54 am right now. And I would reset it but then that wouldn't be the time would it?"

Maybe Jefferson's ramblings would distract them from Victor. Maybe he could still slip out.

"Well you didn't miss much. Except that Whale here says he talked to death and we are all going to die." So much for that hope. Jefferson wasn't going to let him go anywhere now.

"Again?" One word. That was all Jefferson said. One word that conveyed everything. He knew what he would see if he looked Jefferson in the eye. The understanding, the compassion. The pity.

"It had been several years. I thought maybe he had forgotten about me." Jefferson wasn't buying it. The bravado, the pithy responses.

"Vic. You told them about him? Like they didn't think you were crazy enough as it is."

"Hey, we don't think he's crazy. We just...need a little time to process this is all." Mary Margaret was always so supportive. Even if she did think he was crazy, at least she was polite enough to deny it.

"Take all the time you need Sheriff. Victor we should talk. Privately. Go on, you all shoo over there for a minute and process. Just need to have a quick conversation with the good doctor here." Jefferson was smiling, but Victor knew it wouldn't last. "I said shoo."

They seemed hesitant. Victor supposed the idea of leaving a man who might be insane with one that admitted he was, was probably seen as a bad choice.

"Jefferson I..."

"No Vic. You are going to let me talk. When did this meeting take place?"

"A few days ago."

"And you weren't going to tell me."

"I haven't seen you."

"Damnit Victor. I know how..."

"I told them didn't I? I like to think that counts as progress. Really. I'm growing as a person." Sarcasm was probably a terrible idea at the moment, but Victor needed to regain some control.

"Don't feed me that Vic, I know you. What did he say exactly?"

"It doesn't matter. The same as always."

"You and your freaking God complex. Seriously Victor, you think you can save everyone, that you can fix everything. And if even one person dies, if even one thing goes wrong its always completely your fault. Because you're Victor Frankenstein, either you are in control of everything or nothing. And your ridiculous brain won't even let you consider the idea that even if everyone here did die, it wouldn't be your fault. No one would blame you."

"You wouldn't blame me if Grace died and I couldn't save her?"

"No, Victor I wouldn't."

"Just like you didn't blame me when her mother died." A sore subject. One they both staunchly avoided at all costs. Even mentioning Grace's mother tended to send Jefferson down a dark path. Mentioning how she died...

"That...that was a long time ago Victor. We, we were different people then." He shouldn't push him like this. Jefferson was a good man...a good friend. But he would slow Victor down. He would see through his lies, his smokescreen. He would know when Victor was going to do something stupid. He couldn't let anything happen to Jefferson. He couldn't be responsible for Grace losing both her parents.

"You seemed to blame me a great deal back then."

"Victor."

"You could have saved her, those were your exact words to me. You see Jefferson, I understand your desire to placate me. You want..."

"Shut up!" Ok, Jefferson was upset. The others were starting to stare, he hoped he could get Jefferson to leave quickly. He shouldn't have called them in on this. He could do damage control and...

"God, Victor. You really think that is going to work don't you? You think you will say the worst things and push me away, like you push everyone away. Well it's not going to work. I am not going to abandon you. I was an idiot back then, I was hurt and I wanted someone to blame. I was grieving and I lashed out at you. But you didn't leave me, not once. And there is no way in hell I am going to let you face that bastard alone. So say whatever you want Victor, I am not going anywhere."

"You can't come with me."

"What did I just..."

"No, I mean, I need to talk to Regina and I don't think you are the person who should be there when I do." Honesty. A strange concept. He had never blamed Jefferson for blaming him. He had accepted every word, every insult because a part of him had known he deserved it. If he had been quicker, if he had been better, she might still be alive.

"I'll go with him." David was hardly the person Victor wanted around...actually David was perfect. It wouldn't be too difficult to turn David away. The man was hardly his biggest fan.

Victor walked away from Jefferson and David and headed towards the door.

"Don't think you and I aren't going to have a little chat later sonny." He would have to avoid Granny at all costs in the future. He wasn't sure that having these people care about him was doing him any favors. It was...confusing. One moment he wanted nothing more that to confide in them, to have them help him fight this. The next, the next he wanted to run. To find a nice quiet place where he could deal with this alone. He never used to be this indecisive. He would do whatever he thought was necessary, damn the consequences.

Jefferson and David were talking in the corner, probably trying to decide the best way to keep Victor in sight and in line. Emma had been silent for awhile. Knowing your death was imminent tended to make people introspective. Mary Margaret, he hadn't really spoken to her since the curse had broken.

"I'm glad you told us all this."

"I'm not sure it is going to do any good." Mary Margaret took his hand. He should make a comment about her husband being right over there.

"No matter what happens, we will not leave you all alone." Their unending optimism was cute, in a quaint sort of way.

"Sort of a strange promise to keep if you are all dead. Does this mean you are giving me permission to continue my experiments on all of you." He hoped mentioning his work would make her drop his hand. Make her stop staring at him like that. Make him stop feeling like he was letting them all down.

"Yes."

"I'm sorry?"

"Yes. If we all die. If everything you say is true and we all die, and you are left alone. You have my permission to bring me back from the dead."

"Mine too. As long as you don't give me that giant beehive hairdo." Ruby.

"You would look ridiculous with that hair."

"My point exactly. Look. Snow's right. We promised we wouldn't abandon you again. So if you need to bring us back so you aren't all alone. That is fine with me."

"Even...even if it meant you would be a monster." They didn't know what they were saying. What it meant for them to come back. He probably wouldn't even be able to recreate his experiments here. Especially since he would need a magic heart to do it. Still. It was an oddly sweet offer.

Ruby got closer to him. Closer than he was usually comfortable with.

"I told you. We are your family now. Family doesn't leave anyone behind."

No wonder so many Disney movies were made about these people's lives. They were all so...good. They truly believed in what they were saying. That love would always win. That evil could always be defeated.

But what if what they were facing wasn't evil? Not all threats were. Some were natural, others a virus. Sometimes Death just came and took what it wanted. Did love still triumph then, when it had no real enemy to fight?

 

Chapter 5

David and Victor's questioning of Regina had gone...rather well actually. Victor was a bit surprised. Although it probably helped that Henry was around. Regina seemed to truly try to be better around him. It could have all been a lie of course. She could be planning another next big move at this very moment. Still, even David had thought she was being sincere. So they had thanked her for her cooperation and left. Victor was glad no magic had been used. The way Regina had been glaring at them through most of the interview, Victor counted themselves incredibly lucky that Henry had been in the room.

The others were off looking for medical plants, talking to everyone, trying to determine if anyone had any idea about what was coming. Jefferson and Emma had gone somewhere, Victor wasn't entirely sure where. He was convinced they had gone somewhere they specifically didn't want to tell Victor about. He knew they were going to try to keep things from him. They would try to protect him. Which was ridiculous, he wasn't the one who was going to die.

"Gentlemen. What a surprise." Victor got the distinct feeling it was anything but a surprise. In fact, he was fairly certain that Rumplestiltskin had been waiting for them. Why he was hanging around here was anyone's guess. Most people assumed it was because there really wasn't anywhere else to go in the realm that wasn't destroyed or inhabited by ogres. Victor assumed it had something to do with that Belle woman he had seen around. It was always a woman.

"We need to talk." David was so straight-forward about all this. They had agreed that David would be the one to ask all the questions. Victor supposed he didn't know how else to go about this. Well, he had one way. He was fairly certain David wouldn't have agreed to Victor's method, which is why he didn't tell him about it. Didn't mean he wasn't prepared though.

"What about? I must admit the sight of you two together is a bit...unsettling. You would think the two of you were friends. Not two men who had slept..."

"Cut the crap Gold. We need to know what you are up to." The whole bad cop thing was incredibly ineffective when you were Prince Charming. I mean, honestly. Did David think that for one second Rumplestiltskin believed he would do anything to harm him? The man didn't think anything could hurt him, let alone a noble prince.

"I'm up to nothing. My magic is not as strong as it once was. Something about the lingering effects of the curse I'm sure. Other than that, I've been minding my own business."

"Yea, yea you have. But as for your magic not being as strong as it was, I'm not sure I believe you. We know something big is coming. Something destructive. You are going to tell us what it is."

"Now where would you get an idea like that? Victor, you're being awful quiet over there."

"Hey, answer the question Gold. What are you up to?"

"I'm starting to get offended by this line of questioning, your highness. Wouldn't want me to think I was being threatened. I would hate to think I would have to defend myself." Rumplestiltskin and David were practically nose to nose. Victor thought this was going to get them nowhere. A more, underhanded method of questioning might be the only way.

"You will know when I am threatening you Gold."

"Will I now?" All right, they didn't have time for this.

"We just want to know what's coming, David and I were just curious if you knew anything. We don't think it's you." A complete lie. Victor just needed to get closer. He played the part of the peace-keeper. He positioned himself between David and Rumplestiltskin. He put a hand on David's chest.

"David. This isn't going to work."

"Why Gold? Why, after everything we have been through? What can you possibly gain from killing so many people?"

"I have better things to do with my time than listen to nonsense, I'm going to have to ask you boys to leave."

Victor grabbed Rumplestiltskin's arm.

"Just tell us how to stop it."

"Let go of me Victor. Hate for you to lose that arm again." He had given him a chance to come clean. David would probably not approve of this.

Victor grabbed the syringe out of his pocket and quickly jammed it into Rumplestiltskin's still ensnared arm.

"Whale what the hell..."

David grabbed Victor and pulled him backwards. He got the distinct feeling David was about to suggest they run. Rumplestiltskin looked murderous.

"Let me guess Victor. Some sort of truth serum? Did you think something so, pathetic, would work on me?"

"No. And knowing who I am. Knowing the things I am capable of. Do you really think I would inject you with something as mundane, as ordinary, as a truth serum?"

"Whale, did you poison him?"

"Not exactly. Although he might see it that way."

"Get out. Both of you. Or I will..."

"Or you will what, Gold? Throw us out the window? Turn us into slugs?" Victor could feel David's hand tightening around his forearm. Do not antagonize the Dark One. They should put that on a poster. Victor would still probably ignore it.

"Honestly Gold. I don't think you could do any of that." Victor let his glance linger. He played with the syringe in his hands. Twirled it between his fingers. Then looked up and smirked. Victor could see it. The moment Rumplestiltskin realized what Victor was implying.

"You couldn't possibly." He tried what Victor was sure was a very complicated hand gesture meant to cause them both grievous bodily harm. Nothing.

"I really have you to thank, you know. You're the one that led me to the realization that magic was just a branch of science. Everything has a price right? Then I started thinking about magic and how it's taught. Spell books and incantations. Specific words used to create something from nothing. So I thought, if I could find a way to block the receptors in the brain, the ones that link speech with action, I could prevent a person's ability to use magic. You see, Gold, you can't use magic. Now or ever." Victor let it all settle in. Let the reality of never using magic again hit him.

"Of course. I could always give you the antidote. Were I so inclined."

David was being silent. Victor wondered if David was regretting letting him into their little circle of do-gooders. They really didn't know what he was truly capable of. The things he could do. Bring someone back from the dead, that was one thing. But apparently blocking the ability to use magic was just as big a deal here.

"There's an antidote?"

"Isn't there always? I just needed your attention. Now. What do you know about the event that's coming. The one that is going to kill millions."

"There aren't millions of people here to kill dearie."

"It's going to affect all the realms not just this one."

"It would have to be a very strong magic. And I have nothing to do with it. I haven't even felt a whisper of that kind of magic recently. Maybe your source is wrong in their information."

"He isn't."

"So very sure. How...of course. He would come to you wouldn't he. So you've actually spoken to Death, is that how you learned how to do it? Did Death tell you his secrets? You would think he would have killed you first Victor."

Victor didn't want to talk about this right now. Rumplestiltskin appeared to be telling the truth. He didn't know what was coming.

"You're sure you don't know anything Gold. If you are lying..." David decided to rejoin the conversation. Helpful as always.

"Why would I lie? Especially since the good Doctor here has me so rightly over a barrel. I've told you the truth. Now give me the antidote."

"There isn't one."

"What?"

"Whale you said..."

"There isn't an antidote because the serum isn't permanent. I can't get the proteins to keep from breaking down in the blood stream for more than 20 minutes. The effects will wear off here soon. You will be back to terrorizing the locals in no time. I wouldn't suggest leaving your house until then though. Wouldn't want people to know that the Dark One is powerless."

"You are going to pay for..."

"Oh, and let me be very clear. You will not retaliate for this. You will not attack anyone in this town or I will make this permanent. I will find a way. You know I can. Do we have an understanding?"

Rumplestiltskin gave one of the most begrudging nods Victor had ever seen. Still. It counted.

"Great. We should probably get going then. David, after you."

They walked out of Rumplestiltskin's cabin and headed back towards town.

"Were you going to tell me you had that serum on you?"

"I didn't think you would approve me trying out an untested serum on the most powerful wizard in all the realms."

"Untested?"

"I was 87% sure it would work."

"And the other 13%?"

"I was kind of hoping he would just throw us out the window or something. I figured we would lose at most a limb or..."

"Next time, just give me the heads up when you are about to poke something dangerous with a stick, ok?"

"I will do my best." They walked a few more moments. Victor's mind swirled. Neither Regina nor Rumplestiltskin seemed to know anything about what was coming. They had heard or felt nothing. This was incredibly unsettling. Who else in this realm held that much power? What if it didn't even originate here? How could he stop something if he didn't know the source.

"Well that's all the dark magic users we have access to. And I think Rumplestiltskin wasn't lying after that little stunt you pulled. Seriously, that was pretty impressive."

"What can I say I..."

Wait, hold on. Not all magic users.

"What about the Nuns...the fairies." He was a little bewildered sometimes that he said things like that. He was sure it sounded sarcastic. It was going to be a long time before he could honestly say the word fairies without sounding like he had something foul in his mouth. Seriously, fairies.

"What about them?"

"We have asked the 'evil' magic users about any big plans, but what about the other magic users? The fairies are capable of this kind of stuff too right?" Perhaps they had been going about this all wrong. Regina and Rumplestiltskin had seemed to know nothing about any impending disaster and, if they were to be believed, something of that magnitude would have to be magical in nature. Magic is the only thing capable of crossing the realms. Perhaps...

"No." David wasn't looking at him.

"No, they aren't capable or no we haven't asked them?"

"The fairies don't use that kind of magic. They would never do something like that."

Ok, so accusing the fairies is not a great choice. Still, they made sense. They had to consider this from every angle.

"We should at least consider the possibility..."

"Look. You weren't here before, you don't know what this land was like. The fairies were...are the good guys. Blue was always by our side, always working for good. They would never..."

"Intentionally."

"They would never endanger the lives of anyone. They are the good guys."

"I'm not saying they are trying to kill people. But sometimes things happen, the things you intend don't always..."

"They don't piece dead people back together and think it's going to turn out great. This discussion is over." Well that was rather rude. Victor watched David walk away, back towards his home. David always got over defensive when the people he cared about were threatened or insulted. Victor had thought he would at least be open to the idea. But apparently Victor's lack of history with these people would always be an issue. He didn't know why he was surprised by this. It was strange in that he noticed his surprise. He had always been so used to being brushed over, to his ideas being disregarded. Well it was hardly a new thing. He...he supposed he could get used to it again.

"David never seems to look so happy with you."

"He probably constantly wonders if Mary Margaret preferred me in bed to him." He didn't know where Ruby had come from. She always seemed to be around lately. They probably wanted her around in case he decided to wander off. There was no...

"Yea, that's probably it. Seriously, what did you say?"

"I told him I thought we should question the fairies and see if they had anything to do with the impending deaths of untold millions." So far, Ruby was one of the few women who hadn't slapped him. Perhaps today was that day.

"And he just brushed you off?"

"He didn't think it was a possibility even worth discussing." He didn't know where the fairies lived. Trees? Or was that gnomes? It was probably the Keebler elves he was thinking of actually. He was never going to get used to this.

"They should be down by the mines. We can probably catch Blue, she will be the one who would know."

"You. You believe me?"

"Well, I think we need to look at every possibility. Besides, the last thing any of us want is for you to go off on your own and almost get killed again."

"True, you would be out the only doctor..."

"Victor." He felt like they were on the cusp of a very different conversation. One he very much wanted to have. But every time, every moment that presented itself, was overshadowed by Death's words in the back of his mind. They will all die. You will be all alone again. Despite all the rallying speeches and stirring words, Victor knew the odds were against them. Knew there was a very real chance. Knew that if he put into words the thoughts he desperately wanted to say, it would be the end of him. He couldn't lose another family if he didn't have one. Couldn't lose his heart if he didn't allow himself to acknowledge it.

"We should go to the mines then. See what we can figure out." Ruby, she couldn't be disappointed. She couldn't know the things he thought. She couldn't think the same.

"Ok. Lets go do that." They walked in silence. He didn't know if it was awkward or not. Probably. He should say something.

He didn't.

"Ok, there they are. I will go get Blue." He didn't...oh right, they were fairies. The tiny little lights floating around the outskirts of the mine were people. He assumed. They could be fireflies for all he knew. He could feel a headache forming. He was going to need a nap when this was over.

Ruby was talking to the fairies. He could see the little fairies floating around her head. She looked almost...disgruntled. If her walk back towards him was any indication, the talk had not gone well.

"What's wrong?"

"Blue's not here. And none of them know where she is. Apparently she went off on some 'secret fairy mission'."

"That the most ridiculous sentence that anyone has ever said." Seriously, this place.

"Yea, I never noticed that before the curse. Takes some getting used to again."

"My world is basically a steam punk wet dream. I honestly don't think I would be able to go back there without constantly being ashamed." It was strange the things you noticed about your home when you were gone from it for so long. The things you forgot.

"So how do we find our missing fairy? Can you track her with your...you know."

"Probably. I can find something of hers or something she touched recently and then we can go."

He shouldn't ask. Don't ask, Victor. It will only make things harder down the road.

"Why are you...You always seem to have my back in these situations."

"I know what it's like. To be...different from everyone else. They're always good and honest, and I try to be that way too. They always see the good in people first. But there are things in my past that they can't understand. Things I hope they never have to understand. I just, get the feeling you know exactly what I mean."

He did. God help him, he did.

"Yea." How very eloquent. She opens up to him and that's all he can say in return?

"How about this? Maybe, in the slimmest of chances that we don't both die horrifically over the next couple of weeks, if we do actually stop this catastrophe, maybe you and me can go somewhere and, talk. Maybe over some coffee?"

"Do we have coffee here?" Because that was the question you really wanted an answer to.

"We have something kinda like it, its made from a root though."

"Well I guess it's a date then. If we both don't die horrifically."

"We will just have to make sure we don't I guess."

She would be the first to die. It was a feeling in the pit of his stomach. He just knew it. Looking at her with that confident smirk, her defiant stance. Of course it would be her. Death always made sure he suffered. Always made sure the knife twisted in the worst possible way. She would tell him it would all work out, that they could overcome this and then she would be gone. Every rational part of him was telling him it was the truth.

But then.

Then there was this tiny irrational part. This stupid, wants to believe in happy endings just this once part, that wouldn't be silent. He tried to push it down. Tried to ignore it. He had to ignore it. His sanity couldn't handle it right now. He couldn't let some silly concept of hope distract him. Not now. If he had any chance of saving anyone, he had to be focused.

If he had any chance of saving them all.

 

Chapter 6

Victor and Ruby had agreed to meet the next morning to start looking for the Blue fairy. He headed down towards the tavern. Granny would be there and still wanted to 'talk' to him. But it was the only place he could get food from. Face Granny or starve...it was a difficult choice. Which was probably why he was still standing outside the tavern. Staring at the door. Oh for, just...

"Whale. There you are. Ruby said you would be down here."

"David. Is something wrong?"

"No. I...I was able to get in touch with Blue. She's up at my place right now." Well that certainly saved them a lot of time. He briefly wondered why she had suddenly reappeared. Had the other fairies told her he wanted to speak to her?

"And you are ok with..."

"Look, I brushed you off yesterday. I. I know you and me don't always see eye to eye but you were right. Maybe the fairies might know something. Not because I think they are involved, but because they might have heard or sensed something."

"I think from now on we should just assume I am right in all things and move on from there." It would save them a considerable amount of time.

David just shook his head and started back towards his house. Victor fell into step beside him. The silence was...strangely companionable.

"A few questions Whale, that's it. No surprises." What did David think he was going to do? Honestly, you surprise inject one evil wizard with a serum that dampens his abilities and they never let you forget it. True it was yesterday, but still.

"Fine. I will be on my best behavior." David didn't look at all placated by that. Oh well, best do this as quickly as possible then.

They walked into the Charmings' home. It was a very simple cabin. Two floors, he imagined Emma and Henry lived on the upper level while Mary Margaret and David lived on the ground floor. It was rustic to say the least, but it definitely felt like a home. There weren't a lot of things lying around, no pictures or keepsakes. But it felt lived in, felt like a place a family would be happy in.

Emma was there, Ruby too. He had seen Mary Margaret taking Henry out somewhere earlier. He didn't like that they were all constantly going places and not telling him. It wasn't that he had to know their every move, but it truly felt like they were deliberately excluding him.

"Where's Blue?"

"She's..."

"I'm right here." My lord that was a ridiculous outfit. He hadn't seen the fairies up close since their return to the Enchanted Forest. Did she have glitter on her face?

"David said there were some questions you wanted to ask me?"

"Yes, we have reason to believe that a magical event is going to take place that will cause untold damage. We wanted to know if you knew anything about it?"

"If Rumplestiltskin or Cora are planning anything, I don't know anything about it."

"What about you?"

"Careful Victor." David's stance was defensive.

"I don't understand." It was hard to judge Blue's body language. Her small stature and the fact that she was flying meant he would gleam very little information that way.

"Are you planning any kind of magical event?"

"I would never do anything to endanger the lives of the innocent."

"Do you know of any spells that would be able to cross the realms? That could potentially affect them as well?"

"Magic of that power is not something that fairies generally use."

"There, you see. She has answered your questions."

"Actually no, she hasn't. She hasn't answered a single one of them yet."

"Do you think I have something to do with this threat?"

"No one is saying that Blue. Your benevolence isn't being questioned."

"Yes it is. I'm questioning it."

"Victor. Enough."

"You said that I..."

"I know this is difficult for you Doctor. Being in a realm so unlike your own. Our ways must seem very different from what you are used to. Magic in your realm, as I understand it, is very dark and dangerous. Here magic is used for good more than evil. Fairies are benevolent creatures, we want only what is best for the entire kingdom." Blue was very calm. Her voice spoke of nothing but honesty and love for all creatures. It made Victor sick.

"That is such bull.."

"Victor, please." Ruby was trying to keep him calm. But this was ridiculous. Were they not listening to what she was saying? She was hiding something, how could they not see that?

"You claim to be benevolent but from the stories I have heard, you are far from it. You turned a puppet into a human child, then you told him that if he didn't follow your strict moral code, you would turn him back into wood. Which, from what I understand, would be tantamount to killing him."

Victor knew he should stop, knew he should back down. Take a moment, think this through. But they were all so blind to what was happening. He had to know the truth. He had to make them see it for themselves.

"Don't even get me started on the dwarves. You have convinced an entire race of people that they are incapable of love. For what? So that they can work in your mines, supplying you with your precious fairy dust. The same dust that keeps you in charge. Keeps you safe. You subjugate those people, and no one even questions you because why? Because you're the good magic users? Because you couldn't possibly have any motives but the good of the kingdom? At least Regina and Rumplestiltskin dress the part, they wear their black cloaks and use their dark magic. People see them and know they are the villains. But you? I bet no one ever even sees you coming. If you..."

David pushed Victor back. Victor hadn't even realized that he had been advancing on Blue.

"David you have to listen to..."

"No Victor, you listen. I get it, on your world magic killed a lot of people. And you don't want that to happen here. I get that you are trying to protect us. But you are wrong here. Blue would never endanger the lives of the people here. She only wants what's best for us, for everyone."

They believed her. Without question. Without hesitation.

Fools.

"I'm not confusing what happened in my world with what's happening here."

"It sure sounds that way."

"Are you sure Victor? I mean, you had your brains scrambled pretty good a few weeks ago. Maybe you are just..." Et tu, Ruby?

"Just what? Still crazy?"

"Tired. Victor. You still need to recover from what happened to you. You can't think that you are back to full strength yet. We just want..."

He stopped listening. He should have known. This was just as pointless as he originally thought it would be. They were never going to believe him. He would have to go back to the way he always dealt with things of this nature. Time for a different strategy.

"I am not..." Victor rubbed his head. He reached for a nearby chair. He tried to make himself appear unsteady.

"Whale, are you alright? David, Ruby back off him for a minute." He had to sell this. Make it look like he was still suffering ill effects. They shouldn't be a problem. Jefferson might be. He would have to find a way to convince Jefferson to back off. Shouldn't be too hard, he would find a way to get him to focus on Grace. He would forget all about Victor if Grace were in danger.

"I'm fine Emma. Just my head."

"Headaches can be a side effect of such a strong curse. He could have been suffering them for days." What helpful information. Blue might have just given him the out he needed.

"Is this true? Have you been having these headaches since you got back?" Appear repentant. Like this is a secret you didn't want let out.

"I can handle it."

"I'm going to take that as a yes. Have you taken any medication for it?"

"We can't waste the supplies."

"Right. I'm taking him back to his tent."

"I can..."

"No, I got it. You two go with Blue and see if you can't find the others. Let them know what's going on."

"I'm not crazy."

"I didn't say that."

"You don't believe me, do you?" Good. They would think it all was a side effect. His mind was still unstable. He probably had imagined the entire meeting with Death. Within a few day they will have written this all off as the workings of an overtaxed mind. It had been...easier than he thought. Easier than he had hoped.

"Let's just get you somewhere you can lay down."

"Victor, I..."

"Later Ruby, after he's had time to rest."

Emma led him out of the cabin. He walked slowly, kept his eyes squinted as if the light was bothering him. It was a fine line, trying to make it appear as if he was ill and hiding it, instead of perfectly healthy and faking it. They made it back to his tent. He thanked Emma for helping him, told her he was tired. That he just needed the rest. He laid down on his bed.

"You really think it's her don't you?"

"Emma I'm..."

"Yea. You're tired. You had that big, pretending to get sick thing, today." He rather hoped she was just teasing him. Just playing their normal game.

"I don't know..."

"I had a chat with Van Helsing when he was in the station in Storybrooke. I've been trying to find a way to tell you since you got back but, it's never felt like the right time."

"And you think now, when I'm sick and defenseless, would be the perfect opportunity?" She wouldn't be distracted. He could see the determination in her eyes.

"At first it was all rambling, you know, the standard crazy guy 'I'm going to kill you and everyone you love' speil. Then he went super crazy and started talking about killing all the impure and all kinds of weird stuff like that."

"The man is a zealot. He believes that anyone who deviates from the norm should be put down. Is a threat to his way of life."

"Yea. Then...then he started talking about you. About your brother."

"Emma I, I really don't want to know." He had just begun to lock the memories of his brother away. He had to, he had to push those thoughts away. It was the only way to keep his emotions under better control. Although considering he had just yelled at a fairy, he supposed he hadn't quite gotten there yet. Maybe he was still suffering the effects of his insanity. Maybe this was all in his head. How was he expecting to save them? He was in no condition to save anyone.

"Look he said..."

"I know what he said. Emma, please. I know that whatever happened to my brother, to my family, in my absence was probably horrific. Knowing Abraham's obsession with purity, I'm sure copious amounts of fire were involved. I...I don't need to know the specifics."

"Victor I just want you to..."

"No, you don't understand. I can't know the specifics. If I know them, then I will picture it. I will see every little thing that was done. I will see it over and over and over. I will never be able to forget it. It will invade my dreams, my every idle thought. I'm not entirely convinced that I'm not still in my padded room back at the mental hospital, and this, this information would just send back into a spiral. Please Emma, whatever closure you are trying to give me, I really, really do not want."

He wished she would leave. Things were so much simpler when he was alone.

"You still think you're back there?"

"Sometimes, when I wake up in the mornings. Or if I wake up suddenly at night...I might temporarily forget where I am. David and Ruby were right. I'm probably still crazy. You shouldn't listen to..."

"I didn't bring up Van Helsing to torture you or to give you closure. I brought him up because when he would talk about the good of his people it always sounded insane to me. No matter how sweet his words, or how sound he thought his reasoning was, deep down I could always tell that something was off about the way he was saying it. Something was wrong. And that tone, that warning in the back of my mind, was exactly the same as what I heard when you were talking to Blue just now."

"You..."

"Yea, I think that she is hiding something. And I don't know about you, but I really want to know what it is." She believed him. No, not just that. She knew something was wrong of her own accord, which meant.

"I'm not crazy."

"Well. Let's not go that far." She was teasing him again.

"I would kiss you if I didn't think that David would then promptly run me through with a sword."

"Please, don't be so dramatic. He would probably just throw you off a cliff or something. You would most likely live."

He allowed himself the smallest of smiles.

"We won't be able to convince the others."

"No, probably not. David and Mary Margaret and most of the others will side with the fairies. All the stuff they've been through together. Fighting a war. That's a hard bond to break. Although I get the feeling it wont take much to convince Jefferson and Ruby to believe us."

"Ruby is with David on this. She..."

"You really are that blind aren't you. She was worried about you." Change the subject. Quickly.

"I forget sometimes that I'm not the only person strange to this realm."

"Yea, you and me. We outsiders have to stick together. If only so that we can talk about how much we miss microwaves and cell phones."

It was true. Victor, Emma, and Henry were the only three people not from this realm. Although technically the argument could be made that Emma was born in this realm, but seeing that she was a baby when she left, this place was no more her home than it was Victor's. They were the only ones looking at this place, not as a return to normalcy but as a completely new experience. It was just another place to them. They felt no real connection to the land. Which would make insulting it so much easier. He got the feeling they would have many conversations of that nature over a beer, or what passed for beer, at the tavern. Laughing about how strange everything was. Joking about how ridiculous the fairies and the ogres were. If she didn't die tragically, of course. Now was not the time to be thinking about the future. About a life.

"I don't suppose you have a plan for how we are going to get Blue to talk to us?"

"Hey this is your little escapade Mr. Science. You don't happen to have any more of those syringes full of whatever you used on Rumplestiltskin do you?" David must have told her about that. He supposed it was rather impressive. It had taken him a few days to get the ingredients right. And he didn't have any more of the proteins he would need for the serum. He couldn't make more until he found a substitute here.

"No. I'm not sure it would work on her either. I don't know anything about fairy anatomy or their magic, it could be very different from the magic used by Gold."

"Great. So, now what?"

"I'm not sure actually."

It was true. He was making this up as he went. His plan up to this point had been to plan. To figure out the inevitabilities and try to mitigate any damage done from thousands of scenarios. Now, faced with the idea of a lead, of possible action, he was clueless where to start.

"Aren't you supposed to be a police officer? Shouldn't you know how to gather clues and all that?"

"My expertise was more in the realm of clues from computers and physical evidence left behind by normal non-magic crimes. Figuring out the motives of a fairy? Not so much."

Right. Not exactly his area of expertise either. He felt like they were missing a very large piece of the puzzle. That the answer would be so simple if they just had this one bit of information.

"We need to at least figure out where she has been."

"Ruby could probably track her down."

"And if Ruby won't help us? If she believed Blue's words? Then what?"

"I doubt it, but then you would just have to create some kind of magic tracking device thingamajig. You're the genius, remember?"

True, he was a genius. Given a solid amount of time, he could probably create something like that. He pulled out the notebook he kept and began to make a quick outline of a device that could track magical signatures. It would have to be compact, but still powerful enough to...

"Whoa easy there. I didn't mean that as a challenge. You don't have to build it right now."

"I should at least get the idea down. I don't think I have all the components I would need. Not unless there is a very skilled blacksmith that can mold copper wire into certain configurations. Do they even have copper here? I suppose they would have to, it's not like the atoms of materials are different in each realm. Certain substrates would..."

"Sorry I asked."

He often forgot that most people didn't care about the way his mind worked. The things he found interesting, more often than not, bored the vast majority of people. It was another of his faults he supposed. He assumed everyone would want to know the way that things worked. Because he was constantly thinking about it.

"Forgive me. I tend to get a bit carried away." He moved to put his notebook away. He could finish the sketch later.

"Don't be. Science just isn't really my thing."

"That's a nonsense statement. Science is everyone's thing. Without it you don't breathe, you don't eat, you don't speak. There are no paths in the forest to walk, there are no clouds in the sky, there is no sun warming your skin. Science is your thing whether you realize it or not, because it is everything." He never understood people who didn't like science. How could they live in the world, how could they see the things around them, and not feel at all intrigued by it. How could they not feel it's pull, begging them to question.

"You're kind of cute when you go full on nerd. I can see why Ruby likes you." She was teasing him again. He enjoyed the reprieve. But there was so much still to do.

"We have to figure out a way to find out what she is up to."

"Yea. I think I've got a plan. You keep up this whole, wounded puppy thing you got going on..."

"Wounded puppy?"

"And I back up your story. We convince them it was all a side effect. We wait a few days til Blue feels comfortable again, then we have Ruby follow her. Hopefully she won't be expecting it. Hell, maybe she will be making cookies or something when we find her. Either way, at least we will know she doesn't have anything to do with it."

A part of him hoped for that. They had plenty of enemies, the last thing they needed was for an ally to be the next bad guy. But another part of him sincerely hoped it was her. At least then they would know, would have an enemy. Could form a plan.

"Sounds like a good idea. Jefferson won't fall for it. He knows I've met Death before."

"Then we will just have to include him in our little scheme. This will work Victor. We will stop whatever this is."

"You're so inspiring. No wonder you're the savior."

"Shut up."

Chapter 7: Chapter 7

The next few days he tried to avoid everyone as much as possible. Emma ran interference for him, telling the others his headaches were still plaguing him. That the conversation with Death might have just been a waking dream brought on by the trauma his mind was still trying to process. Victor hoped it was enough to convince the Blue fairy that they were no longer interested in her. It worked for the most part. The only person who refused to listen to Emma's warnings to stay away, to keep their distance, was Henry. They boy was always around. Always so willing to help. Apparently Victor had underestimated Henry's guilt about leaving Victor behind in Storybrooke. He couldn't understand why Henry refused to leave him alone.

"Do you need me to get you some water?"

"No, I..."

"What about another blanket?"

"Henry I'm..."

"Granny was making some sandwiches earlier, I could go get you one."

"I think I'm..."

"I'm going to get you some different clothes, I'll be right back."

Three days Victor had managed to keep his tongue. Three days of Henry constantly being at hand, constantly checking to make sure Victor was alright. That he had everything he needed. Victor wasn't a very sociable person. He preferred solitude, the company of books and patients that didn't talk back. The constant attention of an excitable boy had grated on his nerves after the first day. He had managed to keep his calm for three days.

"Do you want me to..."

"Henry! Enough! Please. I appreciate that you are trying to help me, but I can't handle your constant questions. I need some quiet." For three days Victor had mentally begged for silence. For Henry to let up for just one moment. Now. Now Victor realized what he had just done. Henry wasn't looking at him. He was in the corner, folding Victor's shirts. Shirts that Henry had washed for him. Dammit. He really was a monster. Yelling at a boy who had done nothing except worry about him. All Henry had done was try to show that he cared and Victor had snapped at him. This is why he stayed to himself. He wasn't good with children. With people.

"Henry..." What was he supposed to say? Sorry I'm an ass. Sorry I don't know how to accept kindness. Sorry that you worry about the well-being of a lunatic. He had to say something.

"Henry, I'm sorry I..."

"It's ok, you're just tired."

"No, that wouldn't be a good excuse even if it was true. I..I just...Hell Henry, you should know by now that I can be a monster. I..."

"I kept it."

"What?"

"The cast. The one you and me signed. I kept it for a long time. Til mom found it and made me throw it away." Why would he do that? As a sort of reminder to be more careful?

"Henry I don't..."

"Apart from mom, you're the only person I've really known since I was a baby. I have memories of other people being around when I was growing up but none of them ever wanted to hang out or just talk to me. It was only ever that they were scared of, or needed something from mom. I mean, I guess there was Jimminy too but that was only for a few years"

He had never thought about that. Henry had very little contact with anyone Regina didn't approve of. He knew Henry had been lonely, even then, but still he couldn't imagine he had had that big of an impact on Henry's life. He had probably only interacted with him a dozen or so times.

"I kept the cast because it reminded me that there was at least one person out there who was interested in knowing me. Just for me."

"I..."

"Monsters don't do things like that. They don't visit kids in the hospital on their time off. They don't want to help lonely kids feel better. You're not a monster. You never were. Got it?"

It was naive of Henry to say such things. He didn't know what Victor had done. Henry couldn't imagine the terrible things Victor had caused. He should correct the boy. Tell him that the memory Henry was referring to was from his Dr. Whale persona. And was therefore not his true personality. That man had none of the demons that Victor possessed. He might not have been a monster at that exact moment but it didn't change his true nature. He should tell Henry. Let him know the truth. Then he would see Victor for what he truly was. Then he would abandon Victor to his own devices.

"Got it." Henry smiled. The boy was always so willing to see the best in people. Victor would tell him later. Henry seemed content, he didn't want to ruin the boys mood again. He would try to tell him later.

"Victor we gotta...Henry? Hey...didn't know you were in here." Emma had said she would come get him when she had a lead on what Blue was up to. Hopefully it would help them figure out what was coming. Apparently the scouts had said the snow would reach the farthest woods within the next few days. They had less time than he had originally thought.

"Yea I was just helping Dr. Whale."

"You're supposed to be letting the man rest. Go on and find David, he needed help with the horses."

Henry headed for the door. He turned and smiled again.

"See you later."

"Goodbye Henry."

Emma and Victor waited until they were sure Henry was gone. That boy could get into the worst trouble if he thought he was uncovering a secret.

"I think I know where Blue is."

"How did you manage that?"

"I may have convinced the other fairies that Blue needed help and that they would be helping save the realm."

"So you lied to them."

"Hey, there is a distinct possibility that every word I said was true."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night. Shall we?"

"Yea, we have a couple hours of daylight left. I told Ruby that if we aren't back by sundown to bring some people and come get us. Something has probably gone terribly wrong."

"Or we are both dead."

"Wow, you really know how to motivate a person about to go on a secret reconnaissance mission with you."

"It's a gift."

They headed out. They ended up taking the path Victor had originally stumbled upon when he had first awoken here. There were thirteen paths in the woods that could lead to the town. How strange that he had picked this one. It took them nearly an hour to walk through what Victor thought looked like an identical stand of trees. He knew they had been moving, but he swore that they hadn't gone any real distance. He considered telling Emma that they had to be lost. All forests didn't look this identical, did they? He held his tongue until he saw the trees start to thin out. Emma lead them away from the path.

"Don't want her to see us coming."

Good point. He tried to avoid stepping on sticks or rustling too many leaves. Between Emma's past as a bounty hunter and his penchant for having to hide from pursuers, they were nearly silent in their approach.

At first it looked just like a field. A patch of open grass and flowers, nothing more than a small break in the trees. Anyone who took the path would have skirted the outside of it. They would have seen the meadow, perhaps even taken a minute to smell the flowers, and then they would have continued on. They would never even have given the small area a second thought. Except.

"Ok, what is it about that meadow? Does it seem a little...off, to you?"

Most people wouldn't notice anything wrong. Especially the people here. The scouts were too busy looking out for threats from dark magic and ogres to think there was anything notable about a meadow. Emma could tell something was strange about it, but her mind hadn't quite put the pieces together. Victor had noticed it right away.

"They're all the same." Emma turned her gaze towards Victor. "The flowers are all exactly the same height and shape. Their coloring is the same. The blades of grass are all identical. The trees around the edges of the field all have the exact same arrangement of branches. I'm guessing if we counted, they would all have the same number of leaves as well. Someone has created this meadow to look perfect."

"I'm guessing there is no way this could be a natural thing."

"None. The flowers are all completely identical. There is no variation at all. As if they were all just copies of the same flower."

"So we have uncovered Blue's deep dark secret, and it's gardening? Why would she hide something like this?"

"I don't know. Although the better question is, why would she do something like this? What is the point of creating a meadow...unless it were a test run. Perhaps whatever she is doing she had to test first to see if it would work. This is just a small-scale start of whatever is to come."

"Super. So she wants to what? Re-forest the Enchanted Forest? She's trying to speed up the natural recovery process of the land? You would think that would be something she wouldn't have to hide."

"Yes. You would think that. So whatever means she is using to create this process..."

"Must be something she isn't supposed to be using."

"Exactly. She said that fairies don't normally use magic that can cross realms. Perhaps there is a reason they don't use magic like that. Maybe they can't control it."

"So you think this gardening experiment gets out of hand somehow and...what? Everyone gets turned into plants? That's how we all die?"

"I really don't know." Victor started to move from their crouched position behind a downed tree.

"Hey, what are you doing? This is recon only remember?"

"If I can take a sample of one or two of those flowers, I can take them back with us, perhaps learn about their genetic makeup. See if there are any anomalies that I can determine." Emma released his arm from her grip. She understood the need to collect a sample.

"Ok, but let's do this quickly. Blue's so small she could be sitting on one of those flowers and we wouldn't see her until it was too late."

Victor and Emma moved closer to the meadow. They moved quickly, but carefully. Once they reached the meadow itself, Emma took out a knife. Victor looked at her questioningly. She had a gun, why did she need a knife?

"Hey, you never know right." She handed it to him. He took it and moved towards one of the flowers closest. He used the knife to slice the first one, he had thought about digging one up. Getting the roots as well might...well that was different.

"What is...is that flower...melting?" Not technically. Melting would assume the presence of heat in the equation. It was more like, it was dissolving. Mere seconds after Victor had cut it, it had shriveled up and turned to dust. That couldn't be good. He moved to another flower, instead of cutting it, he pulled it up by its roots. Still, the process repeated. Interesting.

"Once the flower is removed from the ground. It causes a reaction which triggers apoptosis, leading the cells to atrophy." He had never seen the process occur so quickly in a natural environment. It was fascinating.

"What does that mean for us non-science kids?"

"Rapid cell death. Apoptosis is programmed cell death. Your cells die at certain times because that is what they are meant to do. It is a perfectly normal occurrence. However, when rapid apoptosis is triggered it can cause the organism to wither and die. Somehow, the removal of the plant from the soil instantly triggers this process, killing the plant within seconds."

"Why?"

"I..."

Victor saw a movement from the corner of his eye. Something small was heading this way. It was probably just a fly, but still, better to not take chances. He grabbed Emma's arm and lead them back towards the forest. They hid behind a large tree just outside the meadow. Victor looked to where they had been standing. Something very small was hovering just above where Victor had cut the first flower. He still had the dust in his hand, he tried to put some of it in his pockets. Maybe he could analyze it later. Try to determine the component that triggers the...

"Victor we need to..."

Emma didn't get the chance to finish her sentence. A bright light suddenly flashed from the meadow behind them. It was moving in their direction. Victor and Emma shared a glance and then began to run. They headed away from the meadow but the light seemed to be following them. They had lost the path in their scramble away from...whatever it was. It was probably a spell that would cause them to sleep and dream of candy and puppies. He wasn't really sure what kind of offensive magic that fairies used. They ran farther into the forest.

They weren't even entirely sure that it was the Blue fairy chasing them. The light could have been a healing spell cast by a gnome for all they knew. But for some reason, both of their instincts were telling them to run. Victor hadn't survived this long by ignoring his flight response. It had saved his life more times than he cared to think on. They continued through the woods for a good distance. The light always seemed to be just behind them. Far away, but still a present threat. They ran, much farther into the woods than they should have.

Eventually, Emma slowed beside him. The light was no longer following them. Maybe it had been a warning shot, meant to scare away anyone watching. Maybe she had not even known they were there, just was using some magic as a part of her work in the meadow. Victor waited a few seconds for Emma to catch her breath.

"How come...you're not...winded?"

"I, well Dr. Whale, liked to run. Used to do it all the time in Storybrooke. Not my fault you are out of shape."

"I'm not..." A noise behind them stopped their playful bickering. They moved behind a large rock to the side. This section of the forest looked much different from the parts they had been through earlier.

"We are too deep in ogre territory. We need to get back to the town." Victor agreed, but there was still the matter of that light.

"What about the Blue fairy? What if she is just waiting for us to come back the way we came?"

"We are going to have to risk it. I don't think my gun and the knife I gave you are going to be enough to fight off an ogre attack. Right now, Blue is the lesser of two evils."

Slowly they moved from where they had hidden. Emma's eyes scanned the woods around them for signs of ogres. Victor kept his eyes on the forest in front of them. Why herd them into the woods just to allow them to leave? There had to be a reason for the magic the Blue fairy had leveled at them. Although, now that he thought about it, she hadn't actually aimed it at them. More...around them. More as an incentive to run. She...oh crap.

"Trap."

"What?"

"This was a trap. She must have known we were coming."

"Victor how could you..."

"Look, I'm not saying this to be condescending, but I am a lot smarter than you. Just accept that my mind works much quicker. It puts pieces of a puzzle together faster than yours can. It has come the conclusion that us running into the woods was a trap. One we need to leave, now." Victor hated it when people questioned his conclusions. He knew it wasn't their fault, they didn't see the patterns and signs that he did. Still, it was quite annoying to have to tell someone that they should be doing one thing only to have to explain why as well. Couldn't they just accept his recommendations?

"So which way to we go? If it was a trap to send us into the woods why is she not here now to..."

Stupid, Victor. Of course she was. He tried to react. Tried to grab Emma and move away from this place as quickly as possible. But it was too late. Blue probably was the light sending them deeper and deeper into the forest. She had made sure they were exactly where she needed them to be. Off the path. In ogre territory. Anything could happen to them this far away from the town. No one would question it if their bodies were found out here.

The light from before suddenly surrounded them. Emma pulled her gun, only for it to be knocked from her hands.

"Blue! Stop. We just want to talk." Victor doubted that Blue would listen to Emma's pleas. There was nowhere for them to go. They were encircled by the light. It started to grow brighter. Blue flew into their line of sight. He had to squint to even be able to see her. She still looked as ridiculous as Victor remembered, but there was something in her eyes. A pleading, desperate look.

"I can't let you interfere. Please. I know this is difficult, especially for the two of you to understand, but I am going to help fix our realm. Once you see what good I can accomplish, you will come around."

Victor did not like the sound of that. What was she planning on doing with them until they 'came around?' He opened his mouth to speak, to try and reason with the small woman in front of them. But before he could form the words, she waved her hands. The light closed in tighter.

"I will explain everything. Trust me. Until then, sleep."

Victor felt Emma collapse beside him. He tried to catch her as she fell, but his own limbs failed him. He fell unconscious to the ground beside her.

"You will see, I am only doing what is best for the kingdom."

Chapter 8

This was going to be, by far, the most ridiculous kidnapping of all time. He awoke slowly. His eyes adjusting slowly to his surroundings. His whole body tingled with a familiar sensation his mind couldn't quite place. He tried to move his arms only to realize they were pinned to the wall behind him. Pinned by what appeared to be some kind of lilac. He was being held in place by flowers.

Fairies. They really were new to this whole villainy thing. Didn't even tie them up properly with chains or rope.

He saw Emma, tied to the wall beside him. She too was covered in flowers. He honestly hoped that no one came to rescue them right now. Jefferson would never let him live this scene down. He supposed he could only be grateful there would be no cameras around to record this indignity.

Emma appeared to be breathing, her color was normal. Her eyelids were fluttering slightly. She would probably regain consciousness soon as well. He turned his attention to the light at the edge of his vision. The vines around him limited the movement of his head, but he was still able to make out what appeared to be the Blue fairy and...what on earth was that?

He tried to get a better look but he could barely move. Blue was hovering around a small circular object. Some kind of orb. It was almost clear but...but there was a color to it as well. A dark green flame was sitting in the middle of the orb. Almost like the orb was just a glass case meant to protect the light inside of it. Whatever was happening in that meadow, whatever was going to happen to the realms, had to be related to that flame. Magic. It was always magic.

"Victor..."

"Emma, are you alright?" She moved her head slightly towards his voice. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Victor couldn't help but smile when Emma realized they were pinned to the wall by flowers.

"You have got to be kidding me."

"I'm afraid not."

Victor realized the wall behind them, wasn't a wall. It was the bottom of a sheer cliff face. The cliff rose above them for hundreds of feet. He had never even heard about this section of the forest before. Blue had brought them out here, to the most remote location she could find. What did she hope to accomplish? Surely she didn't think she could keep them here for long without someone coming looking for them. The sun was already beginning to set. Ruby, at least, would know to come looking for them soon. They just had to hold out until then.

"Blue. Hey! What is the meaning of this? Why are you kidnapping us?" Blue came flying towards them. He really wished she was human sized. This constant flying around was going to give him a headache.

"Please Emma, Victor. This isn't a kidnapping. You have got all of this completely wrong. I am sorry I had to restrain you, but I didn't think you would hear me out. You were all so worked up before." She looked squarely at Victor. That was a fair point he supposed. The last time he had gone to question her he had ended up shouting in her face. Still, the flowers were a bit much.

"Will you release us if we promise to listen." His soothing doctor voice was going to get quite the workout from this conversation, he just knew it. He would have to remain calm, keep her talking as long as possible until he and Emma could determine how to stop her.

"I will tell you what I am doing, then I will release you. Oh Emma, I am so sorry. This has gotten so out of hand. I swear I mean absolutely no harm to you." She sounded sincere enough. She probably was regretting that she had tied up the daughter of two of her most ardent allies. The daughter of the King and Queen of the realm. The saviour. Victor was also aware that she not mention him in her apology.

"Ok. Blue...I forgive you. Just let us go and we can talk this out." Victor wasn't the only one with a soothing, calm-the-crazy-person-down, voice. Emma was attempting to win Blue's trust. Let her believe that they wanted to listen, to help. Smart girl.

"I will. I will let you go. But first, you have to understand. You have to see why my work is so important. How many people will be saved from it. You have to understand that, don't you doctor."

He understood all too well. The conviction, the righteousness. The unwavering belief that what you were doing was more important than the warnings of those around you. The blinders you wore when you believed that you could save everyone, and nothing else mattered. He understood exactly what the Blue fairy meant. He knew exactly what she was going to say. How she would say it, how she would defend her actions. How all the warning signs around her, telling her that what she was doing was going to do more harm than good, were mere speed bumps. That she could easily get past those, that they didn't matter. He had given himself this speech enough times to know exactly how this would end for her.

"Blue. I understand exactly what you intend. Believe me, no one knows better than I. But we know that a great magic is going to..."

"It's not this magic. This magic is good and pure. It only wants to grow and shape the realm back to its former glory. So much of our world was destroyed, this will bring it all back. There is a difference between good and evil magics doctor."

"I don't think there is."

"Evil magic is only used for destruction, to cause pain. Good magic is only used to help people. Of course the two things are different."

"I merely meant that, in the right hands, dark magic can be used for good. As Regina has so recently been attempting to show us. And good magic can be used for evil. Magic is not good or bad. It is simply a naturally occurring force. A force, like gravity or friction. Gravity keeps you from floating off into space but it can also cause you to fall off a cliff. It doesn't do these things out of benevolence or spite. It simply is. Magic is the same way. It is up to the person who manipulates the forces of magic that determine whether people see it as good or evil."

"I am not using this force for evil."

"No. I know that. I know you think you are doing what is best. I know you think you can control the force in front of you. But if it is the magic that..."

"I know you believe that Death spoke to you. But what if he was just messing with your mind? Trying to make to distrust those around you? You are new to this place. Still trying to determine where you fit in, your role in this new land. David told me that you said Death likes to torture you. Maybe this is just another way for him to do that. To make you feel like you don't belong in this realm, to isolate you from the good magic all around you."

It was a possibility Victor had considered. It did seem like the kind of thing Death would do to him. Victor had felt...more at home here than he ever had anywhere else. Even in his realm, when Gerhardt had been alive, he had still felt a pull. A tugging in his mind that, somewhere else there was a place where he wouldn't be ridiculed, wouldn't be disregarded. He had ignored it for the longest time. He never allowed himself to think that such a place could exist. Why open himself up to such disappointment. But now...

"He isn't isolated. He's got us. Let's say for one second that death was just messing with him. It didn't work. None of us thought he was crazy, none of us were willing to let him go off on his own. So if it didn't work, because it was a stupid plan, then you have to consider the possibility that maybe death was telling him the truth. Blue, just for one second, consider it. Is it possible for the magic you are using to cross the realms? Could it be used, by a dark wizard or something, to hurt people?" Emma could be quite persuasive. Blue actually seemed to be considering her words. Maybe she would see the truth in Emma's words. They didn't know if her magic was the one that would cause millions to die, but it didn't hurt to be sure. To check every possibility. Perhaps they could actually get out of this without a confrontation.

"No. Good magic like this could never hurt anyone. Fairies only use good magic." Well so much for that vain hope. Blue flew back towards the orb. Victor glanced over towards Emma. She seemed to sense the same as him, they had to stop Blue before she unleashed whatever that flame was. Victor felt the knife in his pocket, if he could just reach it they could attempt an escape.

He pulled against the vines holding him. This was absurd, he should be able to pull these things free. He stopped pulling, Emma was also testing her vines. He looked at his hands, they were pulled almost behind his head. Emma's were to her sides. Emma hands were closer...she was going to take this entirely the wrong way.

"My left pant pocket." He kept his voice hushed, he didn't want Blue to come back.

"What? Now is really not the time..." Oh for the love of, honestly, he wasn't that bad was he? Ok, sure, if Dr. Whale had posed the question perhaps, but he thought he had more manners than that. He was raised a gentleman after all. Although, he supposed he did have a tendency to let the Whale persona come out around some of the women in town. Well, usually just the one woman.

"Knife. Left pocket." He hissed the words. Emma actually seemed a little embarrassed by her mistake. She pulled at the vines encasing her hands. Her fingers stretched and finally was able to pull the knife from his pocket. She hid the knife as best she could while still attempting to cut the stems.

Victor kept watch on Blue, she started to turn towards Emma. He had to distract her.

"The magic doesn't work you know. This regeneration of yours, the flowers died instantly when removed from the soil."

Blue flew towards him. Her attention focused solely on him.

"You interfered before the magic had a chance to finish. That's what happened."

"Really? When did you perform this feat? Yesterday? A few weeks ago? You would think that would have been enough time for the spell to take hold. Was it the soil you put the flame to?"

"The flame is just a...a catalyst for regrowth."

"Regrowth? All those plants were identical. If all the flame did was make the soil fertile again, that would never happen. The flame doesn't just regrow what's already there does it?"

"I picked that meadow because it was completely destroyed. There were no signs of life, it was nothing but a charred husk. Nothing would have grown in it for years, maybe centuries. Then I remembered an old legend, about a flame that could regrow an area destroyed. It had been used to bring a kingdom back from the brink once before. But people abused that power so the flame was hidden away. Sealed inside a glass sphere. I was able to find the flame. Even Regina's magic couldn't destroy something so wonderful."

Wonderful wouldn't have been the word Victor would have used. He found the idea that the flame couldn't be destroyed by something as powerful as a curse that destroyed almost an entire realm, slightly more terrifying than wonderful. They had to keep her from releasing the flame, because he really had no idea what they could do if it were unleashed.

"So you tested it..."

"Yes and it worked!" She was so happy. Victor remembered that joy. Thinking that everything you had worked for, prayed for, was finally happening. That you had finally found the answer.

"The meadow regrew itself in a matter of days. Everything came back beautifully. You saw the flowers."

"They were identical..."

"No. Not identical. Perfect. The flame made each flower, each tree, grow to its perfect configuration. Don't you see Doctor, I use the flame and it will not just restore the land, it will heal the people. There will be no more disease, no more illness. The people will be free to live their lives peacefully."

Curing illness, stopping disease, those were the goals of every doctor. Every doctor dreamed of the day when there were no more battles to fight. Even if it put them all out of a job, they all strove for that same victory. But Victor was enough of a cynic now to know that such a dream was foolish. There would always be illness. There would always be death.

"If the flame is so good, why was it hidden? If it could have cured everyone hundreds of years ago, why didn't they do it then?"

"I told you, people abused..."

"How? How could people abuse a magic that can only be used for good? Listen to me, this magic you are using is not what you think it is. Perhaps it does create perfection, but look at what happened when the flowers were removed from their source. From the soil you put the flame to. Those plants are completely dependent on the magic from the flame for their survival. If they are removed from it, they die instantly. Just think for a moment what could happen to people. What would be the rules for us? What would we have to do to stay in constant contact with the magical source? Do you even know?"

She didn't. Victor could see it. She had no idea the consequences of what she was proposing. All she could see were the benefits. The return of the kingdom to its former glory. The health and prosperity of all the people. There was nothing else to consider in her mind. God. He had once been this blind.

He saw Emma nod to him out of the corner of his eye. She had freed herself. Good. Short of throwing Blue in a bag he didn't know how to stop her. She could probably just magic her way out of it anyway. If they could get her to leave for a few moments, they would have a chance. To hide the orb or put out the flame, or at least get it to someone who knew how to deal with magic of this caliber.

"There would be no reason for people to leave the source, it will be in the air."

In the air...that's how it would spread to other realms. And they wouldn't have the source of the power to sustain them.

"Don't you see, if you use the flame and someone jumps to another realm or someone from another realm comes here they will breathe in and take a part of that magic with them. It will spread and infect every realm. But without the source flame to keep the magic going, the people will die. You are going to kill millions of people if you do this."

"It doesn't..."

"You don't know for sure. And you're right, neither to do I. How about this. Let me test a few of the plants, see what it is that makes them die when removed from the soil. That way we can both know if the flame is causing it. Maybe you're right, maybe they simply haven't had enough time. This way we could know for sure. You did that test run on the meadow because you wanted to be sure it wouldn't hurt anyone. I can guarantee it with a few simple tests."

"Come on Blue. Listen to the man, this way you have all your bases covered."

He honestly didn't think it would work. He thought she would scoff at the idea of using science to test the effects of magic. She appeared doubtful.

"I will retrieve a few flowers. Once you have tested them, you will see the magic is only helping them. Then you will understand why all this unpleasantness was necessary."

Blue flew away quickly. They waited a few moments.

"I can't believe that worked. Good job Victor."

"I can't believe it worked either." Emma was at his side in an instant. She made short work of the vines encircling him. He rubbed his wrists.

"If anyone asks, we were tied up with rope."

"Deal. So what do we do now?" They walked toward the orb. The flame inside flickered but continued to burn. Victor picked up the orb from the tree stump it had been sitting on. The glass case was completely sealed. How did the flame burn without oxygen? Magic he supposed was the answer. But that wasn't good enough for him. He tried to get a closer look, if he could just...

"Look we don't have a lot of time until she gets back. Maybe we should just take that thing back to town and let Regina or Rumplestiltskin deal with it. Preferably Regina. Who knows what Rumplestiltskin would do with magic like that."

Victor agreed. They should try to make it back quickly. Although.

"I completely agree, we should return to town at once. One problem, do you have any idea where we are? I couldn't even tell you the direction we should head."

"Crap. I was hoping you could tell. I have no idea where we are."

"Well I suppose anywhere is better than here. How about...that way?" Victor picked the general direction Blue had flown in. They might run into her along the way, but at least they would be heading in the right direction. Probably.

"Why the hell not."

They headed in the direction they hoped would lead them home. Emma was silent as they walked. Scanning the area around them for any signs of Blue's return. Victor held the orb as they walked. He tried to analyze the characteristics of the flame. It was green for one, it would burn without the need of oxygen for another. And it burned without any material or substrate to sustain it. Perhaps the orb created a sort of zero gravity atmosphere in which the flame could exist substantially longer without anything other than the initial ignition fluid keeping it lit. Victor was unsure how long they had been walking, he was too absorbed in trying to determine the nature of the flame.

"Maybe we should just smash the thing."

"That's probably a terrible idea. We have no idea the ramifications of such an action."

"Look, it's going to be dark soon and it is getting cold. Blue is going to notice us hanging out in the dark with only a green flame to light our way and despite how small she is now, I get the feeling it wouldn't take much for her to knock us out again and take the flame thing back pretty quickly."

It was true, the light was starting to fade, already he was having trouble making out anything other than the trees in front of him. And the cold was going to be an issue as well. Emma seemed to be staring at the sky, trying to will the sun to stay up just a bit longer.

"And now it's snowing. Perfect."

He looked up. Emma was right. Small flakes floated from the sky. Any other time, any other day, and Victor would have admired them for their beauty. He would have spent the time explaining to Emma why each snow flake was thought to be unique. How the freezing of the water molded them in the clouds above. But tonight the snow acted only as a reminder, as a harbinger of what was to come. Victor knew what those frozen water droplets really meant. They were out of time.

"We have to do something. Now."

"I told you we should smash it."

"Death said that the snow fall would signal the start. We have to do something."

"What? Neither of us is magically proficient. We don't have the slightest idea how to control something like that."

"We could..."

"Stop! Emma, Victor what are you doing? Give me the orb."

They had been so busy looking at the snow flakes, they had forgotten that Blue might be hiding amongst them. Victor tightened his grip. He didn't know if it would do any good, but it made him feel slightly better about the situation. Emma walked towards Blue.

"Listen, we just wanted to get a second opinion on it. Maybe Regina could..."

"Regina? You would trust something so pure and good to someone as cruel and dark as Regina? I knew the two of you would have the most trouble understanding. You two are so suspicious of everyone, you can't see what is right in front of you. I feel sorry for you. And I'm sorry that I have to do this again."

She raised her hands, and the light that had surrounded them earlier returned. She was going to tie them back up and continue on with her plans. He couldn't let that happen. He might not know anything about magic, but he sure as hell knew everything there was to know about electricity. He had felt the slight tingle when he had awoken, a familiar sensation. One of being electrocuted. He had accidentally electrocuted himself enough times to know how it felt. The light the Blue fairy had used on them had some sort of electrical component. He hoped that it was enough of a charge to not only break the glass, but to change the characteristics of the flame enough to destroy it. Maybe wherever the orb had been hidden had been enough to shield it from Regina's curse, maybe direct contact with an electrical charge would be enough. Hopefully.

He wished he had time to warn Emma, to tell her that this was probably going to hurt quite a bit. But he didn't. He grabbed her jacket and pushed her towards a large rock to the side. He turned and threw the orb at the light rushing towards him. Blue was a second too late to stop the two forces from colliding.

The blast was blinding.

Chapter 9: Chapter 9

Being thrown around by magic was really starting to become a habit of his. He hoped this time he didn't end up in a mental asylum. Although considering there were no hospitals here, he probably didn't have to worry about that. The force of the blast rocked the forest around him, trees creaked and swayed. He was sure the smaller ones were shattering and breaking. He rolled a few times on the ground. Every rock and stick adding small cuts and injuries. Finally his momentum was halted. Gravity and friction worked together to slow him down.

He lay on his back, watching the trees move. Trying to listen to any sound other than the ringing in his ears. He tried to regain his breath, the force had pushed all of the air out of his lungs. He wondered if Emma had been able to avoid the blast. He had tried to push her behind a boulder. He sincerely hoped it had been enough to shelter her. Hopefully the blast didn't shift the rock and pin her underneath. He wasn't sure how he would explain that one to the Charming family.

He laid on the ground. Trying to assess his injuries. He could still move his hands and feet, so no spinal damage at least. He turned his head and wiped the dirt from his face. No sign of the Blue fairy. As small as she was, the blast could have pushed her all the way back to town. Or she could be squashed against a tree somewhere in the forest. They would probably never find her if that were the case. Maybe Ruby could sniff her out later.

Emma should be around somewhere, he should try to...why couldn't he catch his breath? It shouldn't be that...oh. He felt along his chest. There was something sticking out. If it was a bone or a stick or a shard of the orb, he couldn't tell. He reached for it. He knew he shouldn't. Every instinct was telling him not to touch it. You never removed something that was stuck in you until you could get the proper medical care. Who was he kidding, he was the only medical care in this world.

His fingers grazed something sharp and then nothing. He moved his fingers in front of his face, they were sliced cleanly. But when he reached to the same spot, there was nothing. It must have been a part of the orb then. So it had worked. The combination of the two forces had destroyed the glass orb. He didn't see the green flame anywhere. He would have to assume for the time being that it too had been destroyed by the electrical nature of Blue's magic. All of the millions of people threatened, were now safe. They were going to live.

He put his hand over the wound and tried to gauge his condition. The edges of the orb had been very sharp, his fingers could attest to that. So it was very possible that something was severed inside. Not an artery, he would have already bled out if that was the case. But...god, that was a lot of blood on the ground. Was it all his? It had to be. He applied pressure, but it didn't seem to staunch the flow any. It just kept spilling out, soaking the dirt beneath him.

He tried to call out. Perhaps if Emma heard him she could help with his wound. He wasn't sure that he made more than a whisper. He thought about other ways to stop the bleeding. He couldn't cauterize it, he had no flame. The position of the wound made applying a tourniquet impossible as well. All he had was his hands and the clothes he was wearing. He doubted he could get his shirt off from his prone position to use as a bandage. He shifted to try and attempt it. He could barely lift his neck off the ground. Any attempts to lift his chest would be futile. He couldn't do it alone. He would need help to stop the bleeding.

He knew from experience that the amount of blood he was losing was going to send him into shock very soon. He tried to keep pressure on the wound but it was so...difficult. His arms didn't seem to want to respond. His eyes were beginning to feel heavy. They seemed to want to close of their own accord. The snow was starting to come down quicker now. Victor had an idle thought of being buried beneath it, hidden. Lost in the snow forever. Never found.

It took most of his energy but Victor forced his eyes open. He wanted to be able to look him in the eyes.

"I suppose this is your idea of a joke."

"I told you not to do anything."

"Which is exactly what you knew would make me try something." Blood loss was truly going to become an issue here soon. Death bent down beside him. Kneeled down by his head. He was wearing the black coat he had carried with him in the tavern. The one he had the last time Victor had seen him.

"Have you ever heard the old tale about the farmer and his son? One day a son goes to his father and says he saw Death in town standing in the street, and that Death pointed at him, beckoned to him. The son convinces the father to give him a horse so that he can flee to the city. The boy leaves, sure that the distance will be enough to keep Death away. That Death will not be able to find him amongst the thousands of people in the city. So the farmer goes into town and finds Death, still standing on the street corner. He asks him, why? Why point at my son? And Death replies, I was merely surprised to see him. I had an appointment to meet him tonight in the city."

"You did all this, came all the way here, so that you could tell me a children's story as I bled to death? You really need to get more friends." Victor was so tired. He wondered where Emma was. Had she made it? Was she safe? Yes, yes she had to be. They weren't in danger anymore.

"You really were trying to warn me, weren't you?"

"If you had done nothing, you would have survived."

"But millions would have died."

"Yes."

"I appreciate your attempt to help then, I guess." Victor could hear noises in the distance. Shouting. Someone was coming. They would be too late. There was no way to replenish the amount of blood he had lost before irreparable damage was done. He was going to die here.

"You should feel honored Victor. I rarely ever come for a single life."

"Yea, great honor." Victor tried to stay awake. The noises were getting closer. He could hear a name being shouted. A male voice, yelling out a name. He couldn't tell who the person was shouting for. Who they were trying to find.

"I thought you didn't fear me."

"I don't. I'm not afraid. I'm just not ready to give up." There had been times when that wasn't always true. But now, when he had people he cared about again. When his life was more than just his obsessions and his experiments. Now, he was going to fight for as long as he could take a breath. He would hold on as long as he could.

"Victor. I wouldn't be here if this wasn't how you die." Victor ignored him. Death could be pulling his soul from his dead corpse and Victor would still be fighting.

"Let go Victor. This is a fight you will never win."

"Story...of...my life." Breathing wasn't normally this difficult. It wasn't normally this exhausting. The very act of inhaling and exhaling felt like running a marathon. It was a painful, haggard feeling. Not agony, not yet. But it would be soon. He could endure. He took another breath.

"Stubborn to the very end."

"Put...that...on...tombstone." Victor tried to smirk but it was so hard to move. His hands had fallen from the wound on his chest at some point. He tried to move them, to keep what little blood he had left in his body. They didn't respond. His own body was betraying him, giving up on him.

"You always knew it would end this way Victor. You, wounded and alone, with no one but Death beside you." He had always thought that. Even before Gerhardt had died. Somehow he had always known. Being a genius made you realize at a very early age that you walked a very different path from everyone else. And that path often took you places others couldn't, or were unwilling, to go. Even as a child he had known he would be alone at the end.

"Not...alone...you're...here."

"I hardly count as a person."

"Suppose...that's..."

"VICTOR!"

Jefferson? How did he get back here? Ruby and Jefferson must have come after them. Had they been gone that long? He supposed it was dark now. The snow flakes were mixing with the stars. He could barely tell them apart. He was going to tell Emma about the snow wasn't he? Emma was...where was Emma? Jefferson was very close now. He appeared in front of Victor, breathless. The man had been running. Frantically searching. Jefferson was never one to observe personal boundaries but he was practically on top of Death. They were shoulder to shoulder. Did Jefferson not see him there?

"Victor...what? What happened to you? What were you thinking? Hold on." Victor wanted to tell Jefferson to calm down, but at that moment Jefferson put pressure on Victor's wound. Victor forgot what words were, let alone the ones necessary to provide comfort. When his vision returned and the ringing in his ears seemed to quiet, maybe he would say something. He focused on trying to breathe again. Was Jefferson still speaking?

"...always has to be you doesn't it? Just hold on, ok? Just hold on. You can't do this to me Victor. You can't leave me all alone here with these people. They're so normal and perfect, and freaks like us go mad around people like them. I would never do that to you, I would never leave you alone. Just...Over here!" Jefferson's hands never let up the pressure on Victor's chest but he was looking somewhere else. Talking to someone.

"Go get help...I don't know who. Anybody! Just go!" There was no reason to be rude Jefferson. Victor figured he must have yelled at Ruby or Emma. Probably Ruby. She would be able to get back to town quickest. Too bad it wasn't a full moon. He might have stood a chance if she could run back in her wolf form. They might have had enough time to save him.

"Jeff..." Victor coughed out the word. He never noticed how long Jefferson's name was. How difficult it was to say. Another person came towards them...Emma. Her hair was matted, she had blood running down the side of her face. But she was mobile. Not squished then. Good.

"Oh god, Victor." They were really crowding around Death. He didn't seem to notice. Victor took his gaze away from Jefferson. He tried to ask Death a question.

"Why...would..."

"You always sought me out Victor. The path you took, the one that lead you to the meadow. Did you not think it strange that it was the same path you took when you first woke up here. Confused, unsure of where or even who you were, and you still sought me out. You unconsciously sought the path that would bring you here, to this moment. You were always going to find this path Victor. It is always your destiny to find me. You were always going to die here Victor, despite my attempts to stop you."

"I...didn't...

"Oh hell no. Victor is he here? Is Death here?" Jefferson was slapping him. "Hey. Look at me." How could he do that with his hands on Victor's chest. Ah, Emma was there now. She was holding his life in.

"Death is here?" Emma was trying to keep calm, this wasn't exactly her forte. There was quite a lot of blood on her hands and arms. He was afraid he had ruined one of her favorite shirts from Storybrooke. She couldn't exactly run out to the store and buy another one. Maybe Cinderella's mice could...

"Victor. Focus. Ignore whatever that asshole is telling you, ok? Just stay here with us. You're not allowed to die. You're not allowed to leave us." Victor looked from Emma to Jefferson. They were so focused on him. On saving him. On not letting him go. On keeping him here, with them.

Victor tried to focus on Jefferson. Tried to ignore Death above him. Smiling down as Victor gasped for breath.

"This is the end Victor."

No. He wasn't ready. In Storybrooke, when the world had been collapsing all around him, it wasn't this much of an issue. He hadn't really thought about it. He was going to die and he accepted it. There was no real debate in his mind. But now. Now he wanted more. He had found a place. Maybe he didn't belong there quite yet, but he was getting there. He was on the verge of something...

Jefferson was a friend, always had been, even if Victor had been too blind to see it. Emma...Emma was like a younger sibling, constantly teasing him. Constantly pushing him. She and Gerhardt would have gotten along. Henry was also becoming someone he might consider family, someone who tried to help him be a better man. It had been so long since anyone had thought the good in him could overcome the horrors of his past. Even David was beginning to become someone he could call a friend. A confrontational, contrasting friend, but one none the less. There were so many people now, Granny, Mary Margaret...

Ruby.

He had ignored their attempts at friendship when he was in Storybrooke. He hadn't been able to see their actions for what they were. He had been oblivious to their kindness. He had spent so many years alone, the motivations of people in his realm were always questioned. He had learned very early on that trust was something to be questioned, to be wary of. He had never met people so willing to look past his name, to see anything other than the monster he was sure he had become. These people...these people were his family. They didn't always get along, and there was some awkwardness still, but that was basically the dynamics of every family. Didn't mean you didn't care about one another. Didn't mean you didn't want to protect them. He wasn't the black sheep anymore. He wasn't the one tolerated only for his mind and his skill.

He had only had less than a week. Less than a week between when he had woken up and when he had met Death. Less than a week of thinking about what his future could be. About the possibility of a life here. Of a home here. And then Death had come, and he had pushed all those thoughts about tomorrow to the back of his mind. He couldn't think about a future without these people in it. He would save them first, then he would consider the prospect of a future.

Now, lying in a pool of his blood. Slowly feeling himself asphyxiate, a thought occurred to him. What if the stories about them weren't strange, second-hand retellings of their pasts. What if the books written in Emma's realm were prophecies? What if they told how each of them would meet their fate? Was there ever any other path he could have taken? Was he always meant to die here in the snow?

He didn't want to die now. Not when he was so close. Not when he was so close to changing his fate. To starting a new story.

"Open your eyes Victor. Come on. You can do this. Fight. Fight Death back Victor. Where the hell are they?"

He was so tired. It was so cold, the snow felt so heavy on his skin. He tried to lift his hand. He managed a twitch of his fingers. He thought he felt someone take his hand. He wasn't sure. His eyes refused to open. Jefferson's voice was becoming so small, so quiet. Were they leaving him? Was he truly alone now?

No. Not alone. Death was still here. Victor couldn't feel his own hands, could barely breathe the air around him, but he could still feel Death's presence by his side. Unmoving. Patiently waiting. His voice spoke clearly in Victor's ear.

"Time to go Victor."

Chapter 10

She stood outside the door. She tried to convince her legs to move. Her body seemed intent on disobeying her commands. It was frustrating and completely ridiculous. She had to go inside at some point. She had to see...

The door was simple. The vast majority of the buildings here were. There wasn't a knob or even a lock. Just a handle to pull it open. She almost reached for it. Emma's hand stayed steadfastly at her side. Apparently it wasn't just her legs refusing to do as they were told. It wasn't supposed to be like this, he shouldn't be in there. It was all wrong. She took a deep breath and examined the small wooden building before her. It was a single story. Two windows on each side of the building. The windows were larger than on most houses here. Jefferson's idea, said Victor would like the extra light. The entire thing had been his idea really.

When Victor had first come back, when he was still unconscious and healing, still getting better. Jefferson had told them that Victor would be restless when he woke up. He would need something to keep his mind occupied. So they had started building this place. They hid it from Victor as best they could. Although Emma figured he had known something was up. Had known there was a reason they kept disappearing on him. It was supposed to be a surprise. A sort of thanks-for-saving-everyone-we-are-glad-you're-back surprise. A welcome home gift. It was going to be a sturdy building, one that would stand the test of time. A good hospital.

Sure it was only one story now, but with more time. As the kingdom re-established itself, as the people looked to new ideas, they would come here. They would come to him. The Doctor. She had even laughed with Jefferson about what it was going to do to Victor's ego. To be the only doctor people trusted. To be the only authority on a subject so important to their survival. David had suggested that maybe, down the road, Victor could have trained other doctors. And generations from now, every single doctor in the Enchanted Forest would know the name Frankenstein for one reason. He was the first doctor. He was the one who brought science and reason to a land so previously dependent on magic. His name would be synonymous with healing. With life.

The man had still been recovering in his tent, barely aware of who he was, and they had been planning his future. His future here with them. Emma vowed to one day track down this Death character and punch him in the face. He was to blame for everything that happened. He was the reason Victor was lying in there. The reason Jefferson had disappeared, that Ruby had been crying in the back room of the tavern where she thought no one could hear her. The reason Emma Swan, one time Sheriff, saviour, and dragon-slayer, couldn't find the courage to open a door. Couldn't move the seventeen steps it would take to get her to where they had placed him.

She barely knew the man. They had had maybe, a dozen conversations? Why would this be so hard for her? They were barely friends. Except. Except for the fact that she knew they were supposed to be friends. This niggling sensation in the back of her mind that wouldn't stop. It told her they were supposed to get drunk and laugh at the magic around them. Bond over being the only two people who weren't raised on fairy tales and happily ever afters. That she hadn't been the only outsider, the only one who sometimes missed her old life, as terrible and flawed as it had been.

This was supposed to be his hospital, his place to work. He shouldn't be lying in there. He should be moving all the supplies in. Organizing everything. Getting annoyed at how often people were getting hurt while trying to hammer a nail. Fixing bones and sewing cuts. Spouting off about how he couldn't work in these conditions, how there wasn't even any electricity. Grilling the locals about what plants could be used for healing. Figuring out a way to synthesize any drug they had back in Storybrooke. She had no doubts he would have been able to do it too.

This was all her fault. If she had been quicker. If she had just realized what he was going to do. If she had been holding the orb instead of him. He probably would have been able to patch her up in the woods. They would have limped back, she would have spent a day or two in bed and that would have been it. Instead, all she had been able to do was put her hands on his chest and watch as his blood stained the snow around him. Listened as he had gasped for breath through bloody lips.

She had promised Henry that she would look out for Victor. That she wouldn't let him fall behind, that he wouldn't be alone again. Henry was in there. In the hospital. Had been for two days. Two days since they had come running back. She didn't even remember where the horses had come from, when they had arrived. One minute she was kneeling, her hands desperately trying to keep all his blood from rushing out. The next, David was pulling her away. Regina had done some kind of spell, and then David had grabbed Victor, thrown him on his horse, and rushed him back here. She had tried to gauge his condition then but she didn't know anything about medicine. None of them did. She had tried to catch Regina's eye, tried to see if maybe the spell she had cast had instantly saved him.

"I did what I could."

Not the most reassuring of comments, but she had still held out hope. Still believed that she would get back to the town and Victor would be fine. He would be complaining about having magic save his life again. He would be annoyed that the orb and the flame had been destroyed without getting the chance to study them properly.

She knew that no matter what guilt she was feeling, it was nothing compared to what David felt. When they had told him the whole story, when he realized what Blue had almost done, he had been devastated. He had gone back into the forest yesterday. Searching for Blue. Emma wasn't sure if David wanted to find her, didn't know what he would do if he found Blue alive out there. He returned a few hours later. No sign of the missing fairy. She would never tell anyone, but she really hoped Blue was dead. She had no forgiveness to give her, not after watching Victor suffer and...

Emma had almost gone to see Victor that first night after they brought him back. To talk to him alone, to say what she needed to say. But David had been in there, clutching Victor's too pale hand. She couldn't hear what he said. But there were tears in his eyes. She knew it was an apology. For not listening to Victor. For believing Blue. For not being there to protect him.

Henry had been asleep on a nearby cot. They brought a cot in just for Henry and put it next to Victor's bed in the hospital. He never left Victor's side. They had thought about trying to get him to leave but Emma had opposed that idea. Henry needed to be in there. It was how he was dealing. How he was fulfilling his promise to Victor, not leaving him alone with Death. He wouldn't come out until...

"Still haven't gone in yet?"

"Where the hell have you been Jefferson?" Not too long after David had laid Victor down in the hospital, Jefferson had disappeared. Had grabbed his hat and left without another word to her. He had spoken to some of the others before he left. She hadn't really paid too much attention. She might have had a slight concussion. Granny had told her to sit down and rest. That they would take care of everything, take care of Victor.

She had seen Jefferson come back in to town not too long ago. Had seen him speaking to Regina. Desperate times, she supposed.

"I had to make a few short trips. Had to pick up a few things."

"I thought travel between realms was too dangerous right now. You said there was a sixty-five percent chance you could get stuck in whatever realm you jumped to. You risked being separated from Grace?"

"A man who isn't willing to risk everything for his family, can't be a very good father anyway."

"Did you get everything you needed?"

"You know I did. Emma why..."

"Because what if I open this door and on the other side is exactly what I fear. Exactly what everything, every experience in my life has taught me is true. The good guys don't always win. Sometimes, good people die for no reason. And there is no magic spell, or potion, or last-minute save. Sometimes life is just shit. While I'm on this side of the door, I still have hope. Regina's spell kept him in a state of suspended animation, right on the edge of death. She said we had exactly two days until it would stop working. That deadline passed twenty minutes ago. You only got back into town an hour and thirty-seven minutes ago. What if I open this door and it wasn't enough. What if he's dead behind it?"

Jefferson took Emma's hand. She wondered if it was strange to be comforted by a man who had once drugged her and held her at gunpoint. Who had once kidnapped and tied her mother to a chair. Who had always believed in her. She was getting used to a lot of weird things anymore.

"What if he's not?"

She squeezed his hand slightly, then released it. He was just as worried as she was. Just as scared. Neither of them wanted to think they had lost a family member today. This time, her arm obeyed her command. She pulled the door open and Jefferson followed her inside. They walked slowly toward the back room. The main room in the front was just three cots and some shelves for medical supplies. They still had a lot of work to do in here. The back room was Victor's living area. They had originally intended to make Victor's living space much larger, a living room, a bedroom, a full kitchen. Jefferson had told them it would be a waste. Victor wouldn't spend much time in the living room or kitchen. Victor wasn't the type to sit on his couch and do nothing. He would most likely spend most of his time in the hospital area. Just throw a couch in there. Leroy was still working on the couch. Still trying to get everything ready for the doctor.

One more door and she would know the truth. Would know if their Hail Mary play had actually worked. The door slammed open before she reached it. Henry ran out.

"Mom!" He ran to her. Wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face in her shirt. She closed her eyes. Oh god, it hadn't been enough. She almost cursed herself for allowing the idea of a happy ending to enter her mind. For ignoring what she deep down knew was true. This was reality, not a fairy tale. She looked down at Henry. Wondering how she was going to help him get through this. He smiled up at her.

She tried not get excited, tried not to let hope worm its way in. She didn't know if she could handle having her hope crushed twice in such a short period of time.

"He's alive! It worked. The potion worked!" She smiled and hugged Henry tighter. Henry was crying. She somehow managed to keep her own tears held in. Jefferson brushed past them without a word. He had to see for himself. Had to know for certain. She understood. She felt the same way. Henry pulled her into Victor's room. Regina and David stood in the corner. David was smiling, unrepentant tears streaming down his face. Jefferson stood on one side of Victor's bed, watching. His hands twitching by his sides, wanting to reach out. To reassure himself that it wasn't a trick. Victor looked the same as when she last saw him. Just as pale. Just as still. But he was breathing. It was past the time that the spell should have ended, and he was still breathing.

They were all cautiously optimistic at first. Each day he appeared to get stronger. They watched as his color returned slowly, his breathing lost that horrible rasping sound. The potion was apparently only a "strengthening potion" as Regina had described it. A potion so rare that the ingredients couldn't all be found in this realm. A potion that Regina admitted she had never actually tried before. Very few people had. It was only to be used on those already within Death's reach. Already in his grasp.

"It won't actually heal him. It will just allow his body the extra strength and time it needs to heal on its own. It will only work if he fights." Of course he would fight. He was Victor Frankenstein. The man was all about fighting for life.

They all took shifts. Sitting by his side, talking to him. Trying to guide him back. Nobody left to go on a bathroom break without having someone take over to watch him. They didn't want a repeat of the last time he had woken up from an injury. Speaking of. He had been showing signs of waking for the past few hours. Emma waited, impatiently.

"your...not...me...you?"

"What? What did you say Victor?" She moved to get him some water. He turned his head. His eyes parted slowly. He was looking right at her. She felt herself really breathe for the first time in several days.

"you're...not going...to hit me...again...are you?" She smiled and almost slapped him right then and there. She probably would slap him later for all the stress he had put them through. After he had healed up a bit.

"I'm thinking about it. Maybe we can actually knock some sense into you one day."

Emma was sitting to his left. He noticed the chair she sat in, the wooden walls around him. This wasn't his tent.

"Where...am I?" He tried to shift slightly, to see his surroundings better. That was clearly a mistake. His vision swam. Pain radiated throughout his chest. Cartoon stars might have appeared in front of him, he couldn't be sure. He regained his sight to find Emma closer, out of her chair. Her hand on his head.

"Your room behind the hospital." Ok, now he knew he was delirious from pain. That couldn't have been what she said. Were they still in the Enchanted Forest? He tried to convey his confusion to Emma. He might have only succeed in grimacing at her. She seemed to get the message though. Apparently it was all quite funny.

"I'll explain it all to you later genius." He was a genius, there was no need for that tone.

"Alright."

He thought about trying to move again. Emma's hand on his chest prevented it.

"Don't even think about it. You need to rest up. You are going to need all of your strength for what's coming."

Had he missed something? Had his estimation on the effects of fire and electricity been off somehow? Had the Blue fairy's plan succeeded? When the orb shattered it should have...Wait. Why wasn't he dead?

"Why am I not dead? Don't say magic." He was getting a little tired of how often magic was being used on him.

"Magic." She was actually smirking now. There was no reason to be so smug about it.

"I will tell you all the details when you are feeling better. Jefferson said if we told you about the potion we used on you, you would just jump out of bed and spend the next week trying to find a way to synthesize it."

Well that was hardly fair. He would at least wait a few days until he had the strength to stand. Although it wasn't like he was going to be doing anything for the next few days. And really, it didn't take a lot of energy to write some ideas down. He could just take a look at what they used and determine if a chemical recombination would be possible. He could sit in a chair for most of it. If he had a pen and paper he could at least start working on it now. He...

"Not happening. You're just going to have to suffer the not knowing for a few days."

"You're a cruel prison warden."

"I know."

"Why do I need my strength if not to work on a problem?" He really did not like that smile. It was too happy. Nothing good came from a smile like that.

"Because as soon as I tell people you are awake, you are going to be inundated with visitors. You thought we were smothering you before? It's going to be nothing compared to this. Henry is never going to leave your side. Granny is going to slap you and then stuff you full of food. I'm not sure if what Ruby intends to do to you will be appropriate for younger eyes. I will have to make sure Henry isn't around for that. I have no idea what Jefferson is going to do, but seeing as he knows you the best, I'm sure it will be the most uncomfortable thing you can imagine."

Oh lord. That man was going to invade Victor's personal space and never leave. He could only envision the sort of uncomfortable situations Jefferson was going to subject Victor to over the next few weeks.

"Perhaps you could forget to tell them that..."

"Oh no way, where would the fun in that be? Plus David wants to talk to you. To apologize. He might cry."

Ok really, now she was just being ridiculous. David had no reason to feel guilty. He hadn't even been there.

"The man was only sticking up for his friend. He should have nothing to feel sorry for."

"Yes. Say that. It will definitely make him cry."

She was too chipper, she had to be messing with him.

"You sound far too excited about all this discomfort I am going to feel."

"Just happy you're here to feel it."

Right. Why hadn't Death taken him? He seemed rather insistent on it at the time.

"Death said he was going to take me. That he was there specifically for me."

"Well clearly, he underestimated how hard your family would fight to keep you around."

Victor's throat felt oddly tight. He blamed it on his injuries.

"Clearly."

His eyes felt heavy. He could feel himself start to drift off. He tried to stay awake. There were so many more questions he wanted to ask. Especially about this "hospital." It was just so difficult. His body was demanding sleep. He supposed his questions would have to wait. Emma appeared above him, she might have been talking to him.

"Sorry. I don't mean to be rude. I'm just...rather tired."

"No problem. Take a nap. One of us will be here when you wake up."

An oddly comforting thought. One Victor was slowly getting used to.

"Thanks."

"Anytime."

Victor closed his eyes. He could hear Emma settling back into her chair. In his room, of his hospital apparently. He wondered how that came to be. He felt his body start to relax into the mattress beneath him. He felt the wound on his chest pull slightly, but the pain was quickly disregarded. It would heal. Though he would probably have a scar. The thought made him almost smile. It had almost killed him. The shard in his chest should have been fatal. He was sure it had been over then. More sure then than he had ever been that it was the end. That Death had finally beaten him.

The scar wouldn't remind him of laying on the ground, blood soaking his shirt, Death hovering above him. Nor of the certainty he had felt that his fate had been sealed long ago. No. That scar would always remind him of the time Death came to collect and his friends...his family, fought Death back. Of the first time he didn't have to face Death alone.

Victor drifted off to sleep with plans for his hospital, and his future, running through his mind.

A/N Tiny confession, I started this story with the intent of killing Victor at the end. But then I got here to the last chapter and I just couldn't do it to the poor guy. Thanks again for reading it all the way through, hope you liked it.


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